It is a little over a year since I was elected, together with Jan Davis, as a Green councillor in a September 2021 by-election to Broadland District Council, Norfolk. A long-serving councillor stood down and we had Jan in place ready to be a candidate. Then, a second councillor stood down in the same ward, which took our local party by surprise and we had to find another candidate. I agreed, thinking it was very unlikely I would be elected. Broadland Green Party is relatively small, having been formed in 2019, and the district council is in Conservative administration, with Liberal Democrats having the second largest representation.
Fortunately, Jan had attended Campaign School and was prepared. Then the Green Party machine sprung into action, and we were swept away on a wave of several weeks of campaigning, ably guided by our Field Organiser, Ed Fraser. It was exciting, hard work, and amazing to see how many people from around the region turned out at short notice to help support the campaign.
I will never forget being at the count and watching the votes pile up for the Green Party. Those present were saying ‘I think the Greens are going to win’, but I didn’t believe it was possible until the result was actually announced. I think it was a bit of a shock for others too, as we were the first Green councillors ever to be elected to the council.
I have to be honest in that it took a while for it to sink in, and there was no time to think about it as we were presented with a sheaf of papers to read for our first main council meeting the following night, and in the next few days with iPads, our work email addresses and more papers to read. It took me a good six months to even feel settled in the role and I know I still have an awful lot to learn. However, I have been lucky in that I was elected with Jan who had more experience than me with campaigning and knowledge on how district councils operate. There are four parish councils in my ward and they have all been friendly and helpful. I have been impressed by their competency and the dedication that so many councillors have to their local communities.
Trying to keep on top of all the things that are going on is difficult, so it can be best to focus on a few things. There is a lot of information to process and sift through to decide what to do and what to focus on, both in relation to council work, ward work and Green party work. In order to do the role I aim to commit to at least 20 hours a week. A lot of the work in opposition is linked to asking searching questions to establish what is actually happening and working out whether things could be done in a better way.
It helps to know what you want to achieve and what your objectives are, and I have to admit I am still not entirely sure of these but am working on it! The whole process of holding those in power to account is new to me. I found the whole idea of promoting the work we have done very strange, and not a particularly natural thing to do. It took a while to get used the idea of taking photos at every event and sending information to the press. However, knowing that maybe in some small way someone has been helped, or a process or procedure has been improved is really worth it and can be extremely rewarding. If you feel you have made life better in your ward community, that is great. You have a chance, as a councillor, to exert some influence which makes it all worthwhile. As has been said many times, a Green in the room can make a difference.
Local councils have the responsibility for spending millions of pounds of public money. They make decisions on the provision of services that affect local neighbourhoods such as transport provision, waste recycling, flood management, improving energy efficiency on council-owned buildings and having a wider influence in reducing carbon emissions, adult social care, health and education and bidding for government grants. Being able to introduce a green perspective on all of these matters is incredibly important.
We now have another great Field Organiser, Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw, who is guiding parties in the East to prepare for the May 2023 elections. I have just attended a fantastic Campaign School run by Elfrede and Alex Catt (a Green Party Councillor in Norwich). If you have a chance to attend one in your region I would highly recommend it.
If you are reading this and you think you might be able to dedicate the time to being a councillor in your area, whether at parish, lower or upper tier level, then please do consider standing. We need target candidates who would like to see a change in approach in their local councils and can bring a Green voice to the council chamber. Alternatively, if you are keen to get more involved in a campaign to get a Green elected, then please do so! Elections are won by teams, not by individuals.
If you stand and get elected there will definitely be something you can do to make this world a better, greener place. If you stand and don’t get elected then you will still have campaigned to change and improve your local community, and shown people that Greens are a positive alternative at the ballot box and have a real chance of winning.
There is good help and assistance out there for councillors. The support of other Green councillors is invaluable, but even if elected as a sole councillor, there is help from the Association of Green Councillors, local party members and supporters, your regional field organiser and often from council officers or through cross-party work with other councillors.
The May 2023 elections are now not too far away – all the best to those who are involved in a Green Party local campaign. The hard work is worth it