Greens and Reform hail success in mayor votes
PARTIES CAPTURE 20% OF BALLOTS AND VOW TO KEEP UP FIGHT ON MAIN RIVALS
THE race to become the first East Midlands Mayor has showcased the significant presence both the Green Party and Reform UK have managed to secure in the region.
Both parties were unsuccessful in securing the inaugural position, with Labour’s Claire Ward becoming the first East Midlands Mayor, but the two parties – on either side of the political spectrum – managed to accrue more than 20 per cent of the votes cast.
The Green Party’s Cllr Frank Adlington-Stringer snatched third place in the contest, surging from North East Derbyshire district councillor to a regional platform in the space of two months, securing more than 50,000 votes (11.3 per cent).
This follows a gradual progression for the Greens in Derbyshire over the past five years, gaining its first councillor and now five councillors on Amber Valley Borough Council and its first Derbyshire county councillor.
Meanwhile, Reform UK’s Cllr Alan Graves, Derby Mayor, claimed fourth place, 1,465 votes behind the Greens, with more than 49,000 votes (10.9 per cent). This, too, matches its solid representation in Derby, in particular over the past few years, with the party holding all six seats in the city’s Alvaston wards.
Cllr Adlington-Stringer told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “For us this is a bit of a signal, a sign of intent and that we should take ourselves seriously. You only have to look at the Liberal Democrats coming last to see that there is space for a third party here.”
He said the Greens securing a “Champions League” spot in third place was a result of voters needing an alternative to the two main parties – Labour and the Conservatives.
Cllr Adlington-Stringer said: “Derbyshire Green Party was pretty much defunct a few years ago and in five years we are looking fit, healthy and looking to the future to the General Election.”
The race for East Midlands Mayor in Chesterfield borough saw the Greens finish in third by 671 votes behind Conservative Cllr Ben Bradley, and Cllr Adlington-Stringer says this was a good sign that the party can build and grow in the area.
Cllr Adlington-Stringer, currently the parliamentary candidate for North East Derbyshire heading into the General Election, said there was a clear appetite for a “real alternative” and he is keen to remain a prominent voice in the Green Party, saying: “Over the campaign I have shown I can do that.”
He said two months ago the national party had said not to bother with the East Midlands Mayor election due to the type of devolution deal that had been put forward, along with the £5,000 registration fee and £5,000 election booklet fee.
However, at the 11th hour he was asked to consider running and sought to crowdsource the money required to both make the ballot and into the election booklet – with 200 donations meeting this goal.
He said: “I am not surprised at how well we did, people want something different but I am surprised that we were able to do something so quickly in two months.
“We have to treat every campaign like you’re going to win and to take elections seriously. We have been making incremental wins and quietly building a presence.
“In the region where Reform has its only MP (Ashfield, Nottinghamshire) we have this huge presence that has managed to beat them.”
He said the national traction of Reform does not match what people claim, with one councillor gained in the local elections, while the Green Party gained 74 to reach 181 overall in this batch of contests.
Cllr Adlington-Stringer said the Labour Party “abandoning its principles” had left a space for the Green Party and added there was clear support for green policies in the region.
Reform UK leader Richard Tice said last week the party is becoming the “real opposition to the Labour Party” in the Midlands.
Cllr Graves told the LDRS: “(the East Midlands Mayor result) does show there is a lot more support for parties other than Labour and the Conservatives, finding an alternative to the mainstream.
“It gives me a lot of confidence ahead of the general election because, in Derby, Reform got 17.5 per cent, which is a lot higher than the overall for the East Midlands.
“That is quite a considerable share of the vote. Most of those votes were in Derby South, where it was slightly higher and that gives me a lot of confidence going into the general election.
“Our rise in the city has been quite spectacular, from a standing start to having six councillors is particularly good and our popularity is growing and that will help us going forward.
“I think there are lots of reasons people are coming to us. The Conservative government isn’t doing a good job and hasn’t for many years and they are looking for an alternative.
“People remember the last Labour government and that wasn’t a nice end to their reign either.
“Reform is saying the right things in that we need to rebuild our economy and get ourselves back on the straight and narrow.”