Green Party members across the East Midlands converged on Leicester on Saturday, 24^th June to attend the annual East Midlands Conference.

In St Martins House, near the famous statue of Leicester suffragette Alice Hawkins, representatives and members gathered to hear from key Green speakers, such as Baroness Natalie Bennett of the House of Lords

The conference provided both a recap of recent Green successes in the local elections as well as offering a platform for many Green leaders to speak to members directly, offering advice and hearing feedback from members.

Attracting members from across Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire, many new councillors elected in May were also in attendance.

Speaking to the assembly, Natalie, one of only two Green members of the House of Lords, talked positively about the future of the Green Party, as “centrist” parties failed to offer real solutions to the issues voters care about.

Where the Green Party were once mocked for being ‘too radical’, she said, key Green policies, such as electoral reform, Universal Basic Income and the importance of renewable energy were now being increasingly engaged with and supported.

The Green Flag Flying Outside the EMGP 2023 Annual Meeting and Conference in Leicester

With Natalie predicting further electoral successes in the coming elections, she urged all members to remain active and to continue fighting for local communities.

With 42 councillors now in office since the May 2023 Local Elections, there was much to be optimistic about, and the Green Party is looking to keep up momentum to expand their successes in the coming general and local elections.

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Significant gains have been seen in areas with previous Green representation, as a sign of widespread approval of the effectiveness of Green Councillors in defending residents’ interests.

The Greens have also seen breakthroughs in the 4 key areas of Erewash, North East Derbyshire, East Lindsey and South Kesteven bringing green representation onto those councils for the first time.

Rachael Hatchett, joint regional coordinator of the East Midlands Greens congratulated the 21 local parties on their hard work, and thanked the hundreds of candidates who stood across 35 different local authorities:

“Our key breakthroughs in the East Midlands show that people are beginning to see that the Green Party does things differently to the other parties, by putting local people and our environment first.”

The decision to elect so many new Greens to local councils follows a long campaign by Green candidates, volunteers and activists, who sought to appeal to voters who wish to see real action taken on pressing local issues.

Rachael went on to say:

“We could not be more delighted with the results. It represents an important step in local communities coming together to stand up against status quo parties who have shown themselves incapable of tackling the pressing issues that residents really care about”

The Green Party’s record gains nationally have been widely recognised as an inspiring sign of the popular appeal of Green policies in advance of the general election expected in 2024.

For more information or to arrange an interview contact coordinator@eastmidlands.greenparty.org.uk.

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Wednesday’s strikes saw hundreds of thousands of workers in the NHS, education, rail, the civil service and other sectors walk out to demand pay rises and proper funding for services.

The Green Party has publicly called for public sector pay rises in line with inflation, with funding provided by Whitehall.

The Greens have also called for privatised public services like rail and Royal Mail to be brought back into public ownership.

Derbyshire teacher Brent Poland is helping his union the NEU organise its biggest strike ever. He said: “The response from society at large has been fantastic, and parents are in support of our action. They know we unlike this government actually care about their children’s education. We have no choice but to take this action — there is a recruitment and retention crisis in education, with many teachers being forced to work unsustainable hours and fill in gaps by teaching unqualified subjects.”

Rob Butler, a refuse collector and GMB member in Leicestershire, said: “Council workers and council contractors like me have been have been pressured into accepting pay deals well below inflation. We hope to break this trend this year. I’ll be continuing my support of other striking workers on local picket lines and at rallies.”

Local government worker Lesley Whetton will be at the Chesterfield rally as a Unison rep. She said: After years of attacks from the Tory government on public sector workers, we have had enough, recent ballot results show this. Staff are under pressure so many take work home and work through breaks, equating to many hours unpaid work.”

Chris Williams, a UCU member at the Open University striking on Wednesday, said: “We’re proud that the Green Party is 100% behind the Enough is Enough campaign, and today we’re out alongside our fellow trade unionists to get a result. Last year my branch moved 4000 tutors on to permanent contracts. Casualisation is a choice by management — and if we fight it, we can reverse it.”

The number of Green trade unionists is growing: Green policy on social justice and sustainability is union-friendly. At a point when more workers have decided that radical change is necessary, the Greens are the only party with a national profile and an electoral track record pushing for it.

East Midlands Green Party members are available for comment, including striking workers. Please contact Chris Williams (East Midlands Green Party Trade Union Liaison Officer) on 07718 629651 or elleetoo@gmail.com

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The Green Party is a party of social and environmental justice, which supports a radical transformation of society for the benefit of all, and for the planet as a whole. We understand that the threats to economic, social and environmental wellbeing are part of the same problem, and recognise that solving one of these crises cannot be achieved without solving the others. We do not believe that the imposition of a mayoral authority on the people of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, without proper democracy and accountability, will further these aims.

The East Midlands Green Party welcomes any additional funding for our region but disagrees with the proposal and has submitted a detailed response setting out its reasons.

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Further details, including guest speaker line up and ticket booking service will follow, but for now we’d encourage you all to make a note in your diaries for what we’re sure will be another triumphant conference and ideas exchange!

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