The upcoming local elections in Herefordshire can be a stepping stone for the Greens to gain a parliamentary seat in the county, the party believes.
“We have strong ambitions for many more Green councillors,” according to Ellie Chowns, the Greens’ leader in the county and candidate to face Sir Bill Wiggin in North Herefordshire at the general election due next year.
The party has been the junior partner in a governing coalition with Independents for Herefordshire since the 2019 election gave no party an overall majority in Herefordshire.
In the run-up to May 4, “We are coordinating locally with Independents for Herefordshire, with whom we have an immense amount of common ground,” Coun Chowns said.
“But we believe in seeking common ground wherever we can, so are open to working with anybody who shares our vision for Herefordshire.”
Co-leader of the national party Adrian Ramsay, with Coun Chowns to promote the Greens’ campaign to give the river Wye greater protection, said:
“We have a fantastic chance to win more seats building up to the general election next year, when Ellie will be one of our top candidates.”
He added: “We have influence and want more, on issues like having a healthy environment. Across the country we are winning rural and urban seats, off Conservative and Labour.”
With two weeks to go until the deadline for registrations, the Greens have yet to formally announce their council candidates for the county. But the party has confirmed that serving Green county councillor Diana Toynbee will take on Jesse Norman in Hereford and South Herefordshire at the next general election.
“To have a degree of impact for the local area, we also need Green MPs to get local issues on the national agenda, and Herefordshire is a top target,” Mr Ramsay said.
Coun Chowns pointed to the Wye as an issue on which local action can only go so far, and which requires a stronger voice at national level.
“The Wye is close to home for us, but it part of a bigger issue in that the government and regulators are not doing their job of stopping pollution,” she said. “Our Conservative MPs haven’t done anything close to enough on this.”
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