Local elections 2023: Greens claim victory in Mid Suffolk

5 May 2023, 11:43 BST

Updated 33 minutes ago

Image source, Vikki Irwin/BBC

Image caption,

Tory council leader Suzie Morley (pictured with Andy Mellen – the leader of the Green Party at the council) lost her Stonham seat to the Greens

The Green Party has secured sole control of an English council for the first time.

They currently have 20 seats on Mid Suffolk District Council, two more than was needed for majority on the 34-seat authority.

The council was previously run by a 16-seat minority Conservative administration.

Andy Mellen, leader of the Green Party in Mid Suffolk, said: “We are looking forward to getting to work.”

Victory in Mid Suffolk is the first time the Greens have had a majority on a council anywhere in England, although they have been involved in ruling as minority administrations or as part of coalitions at other councils, including Brighton, where Caroline Lucas is the party’s only MP at Westminster.

The Green Party’s co-leader in England and Wales, Adrian Ramsay, said the party had seen “fantastic results” in both rural and urban areas, winning seats from Labour as well as the Conservatives.He said the victory in Mid Suffolk would “pave the way for electing the first Green MP in the area as well – to really represent people on a national stage as well as locally”.

Image caption,

Andy Mellen, leader of the Mid Suffolk Green Party, said he believed the party could improve local services

Mid Suffolk saw defeats for two high profile local Conservatives.

Suzie Morley, who was the council leader before Thursday’s voting, lost her Stonham seat, while Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore was beaten in the Palgrave ward. Previously, he had been councillor in the Claydon & Barham ward.

No single party had overall control at Mid Suffolk after the last round of elections – the Conservatives held 16 seats, the Greens 12 and Liberal Democrats five, plus one was held by an independent.

The district includes the towns of Stowmarket, Needham Market and Eye.

Image caption,

The Greens secured a majority on Mid Suffolk District Council

Andrew Sinclair, BBC East politics correspondent

In a county which has a reputation for being solidly blue this result is a major triumph for the Greens and a massive embarrassment for the Conservatives.

The Green Party has had its eye on Mid Suffolk for some time. Across Suffolk it has been slowly building support over the last 10 years. It was already the main opposition on Mid Suffolk and last year it stepped up its campaigning and leafletting in the area.

When the party leaders chose Stowmarket as the place to launch their national campaign for these elections, it was a sign of how confident they were feeling.

There seem to be two reasons behind this win. On the doorsteps, candidates tell me they were picking up a lot of anti-Tory feeling. With very few Liberal Democrats and Labour candidates standing, in many wards the Greens were the only non-Conservative choice.

The other reason is the growing concern in Suffolk about perceived over-development. On the outskirts of Stowmarket a giant business park is being built to complement the nearby freeport at Felixstowe.

The growth of offshore energy has resulted in plans to dig up parts of the countryside for cabling and to build giant electricity substations. There’s also a plan for a new chain of pylons running through the Suffolk countryside, although a large section of the cabling, through the Dedham Vale area of outstanding natural beauty, will be put underground.

The party’s co-leader Adrian Ramsay has decided to stand in the new Suffolk parliamentary seat of Waveney Valley at the next general election.

He will see today’s result as proof that his party can win in true blue East Anglia. That is still a long shot but after today anything is possible.

Mr Mellen said: “I think this result shows that there is a real appetite for a bunch of sensible, practical people who have got the energy and commitment to make change in their community and that’s why a lot of people voted for us.

“We have been growing a party here for 20 years.”

Image source, John Fairhall/BBC

Image caption,

The Green Party’s national co-leader Adrian Ramsay (right) celebrates Green gains at the Mid Suffolk count in Wherstead (where Babergh District Council votes are also being counted)

Ms Morley said the loss of her seat was “devastating” after four “really good” years.

“We’ve achieved such a lot for our residents and businesses throughout Mid Suffolk and it’s a real shame,” she added.

Mid Suffolk shares most of the running of local services with neighbouring Babergh District Council, although both have separate political identities and administrations.

The councils’ main joint office is not in either district, but is in the same building as Suffolk County Council’s headquarters – in Ipswich.

Image source, Guy Campbell/BBC

Image caption,

Greens are also making gains at East Suffolk Council, which was run by the Conservatives prior to Thursday’s election

Meanwhile, the Green Party is also making gains at neighbouring East Suffolk Council where all 55 seats have been up for grabs.

They have taken seats including two in Aldeburgh and Leiston, which means they now have all three seats there, and two in Bungay and Wainford.

The council was run by the Conservatives with a 23-seat majority prior to Thursday’s election, with Labour in second place on five seats, the Greens on five and the Liberal Democrats on three.