This years local election results have been a record high for the Green Party, gaining 43 seats.

Some of its best results have come from Young Greens, either holding their seats or gaining seats from Labour and the Conservatives.

Some key statistics from this years elections:

• The Young Greens have gained 14 Councillors.
• We now have 57 Councillors in total.
• 19% of all Green wins have been Young Green candidates.
• Over 25,000 people voted for a Young Green candidate.
• Young Green candidates won 50% of seats they stood in.
• Target candidates won 75% of their seats
• The largest lead goes to Cate James-Hodges, who won the Stroud Central by-election with 2,166 votes, an incredible 1,367 lead over Labour!

We are immensely proud of every young person who stood as a candidate and/or helped campaign for us in these elections.

Young people standing for radical and progressive change are continuing to break records. We know all our Young Green Councillors will work hard for their residents, and we can’t wait to see what they achieve.

Wherever young people’s lives may take them, the Young Greens are there to represent and advocate for their needs, views and wants, championing the rights of students and young people aged up to 30 across England and Wales.

We’re working hard to get more Greens elected. Join us, and let’s make it happen.

The post Greens Celebrate 57 Young Green Councillors After Local Elections appeared first on Young Greens.

Tell us a bit about yourself:

“I’m Cambridge born and bred, I’m 26 now, so I’ve lived in Cambridge most of my life. I studied Film and Literature for my undergrad and then I went on to do my postgrad in Early Modern Literature at York and I really wanted to get into teaching. I have Applied for a few PhD scholarships to do more early modern literature stuff before never quite got a scholarship.

I’m on the City Council at the moment, I won in 2023 and I’m currently going for a County Council seat.”

How did you get involved in the Green Party?

“I got into SCN education, special educational needs, mostly specialising in autistic children and deaf children. My mum is deaf, and I found it very frustrating, the lack of support for children with special educational needs in school. So, I was like, ‘We gotta fix that’. I got involved in politics and thought ‘What political party?- ah the Greens, they’re pretty cool!’.

I joined the Greens as a kind of New Year’s resolution thing at the end of 2021. I went in with the kind of vision of me getting really, really involved. I don’t take many half-measures and I was like, ‘If I’m gonna do it, I’m gonna do it properly’.  

I got invited to do some leafletting and then I got invited to an action day.And from there I started coming out every week because I really enjoyed campaigning. Then I got asked if I’d be co-campaign manager in Abbey [Ward]. Eventually, I got so familiar with the seat, when one of the councillors couldn’t stand, I was asked if I’d consider standing and I’d only been in the party for about 6 months.

I was very active and very engaged at the time which put me in a good position to run. I think just having time and energy is an incredibly useful asset.

In Cambridge Greens, we’re kind of a tertiary group on the on the City Council where we’re kind of small, but we’re growing, and I’ve had a really good time fighting to make sure we grow because I honestly think we could run the City Council.

 I think demographically Cambridge is perfect. We don’t have any county councillors at the moment, I hope to be one of the first.”

How has your experience as a councillor been so far?

“I love being a councillor, I think it’s really really rewarding. I really appreciate the chance to give back to my community. The thing of being a councillor, it’s not a particularly romantic job…it’s dealing with standard issues that impact people day-to-day. But these issues make a massive difference in people’s lives, and it blows my mind that people recognise me all over the city. Now if I knock on a random door in my ward, most people know who I am. And to me, that’s absolutely crazy, I think that’s the best thing.

I think the biggest, I guess, challenge I have found is… explaining to the local party that creating the most foolproof amazing policy ever is not what wins elections. It’s mainly campaigning and it’s mainly building that sense of trust and report and I feel that’s something the Young Greens recognise. I’m the only young councillor [in Cambridge] and I’m taking a bit of a different approach.

For a councillor to be a champion for their community and to be someone that people trust to put the community’s interest first, it means so much. It’s genuinely touching. And I’ve had a couple of really good conversations on the door recently with people saying ‘You’re the only local politician who is actually focusing on the struggles that people are going through in Cambridge’, that’s the reputation that I want to build for the Greens. It’s about building a sense of trust with people and the Green Party brand; it’s about associating the Green brand with quality work.”

If elected in this election, what are your aims as a councillor?

“I think a lot of people’s goals change slightly when they get elected based on their understanding of the Council and their knowledge of the Council’s finances and the funding given by the national government. So I feel that I’m probably gonna end up being a lot more focused in the end, but some of the stuff I want to do immediately is on better school provision in my ward.

As I said, education is my background, it’s something I’d love to go back to one day. And there isn’t a secondary school in my ward, no secondary school at all. So, pushing forward, better school provision, more funding, more support for special educational needs students.

Also, social care. A lot of councils are falling short on their statutory duty for social care, and I believe Cambridge County Council is included in that, so to try and make sure we’re looking after residents, that’s important to me.

A lot of stuff to do with active travel is really important to me, particularly pedestrianism. I’m not much of a cyclist, I’m mainly a walker, and to make walkable trails so that people can get around.

Potholes are definitely the most important issue to every single person in Cambridge so fixing up the roads is a key one. I think everyone wants to do that and everyone falls short of that. But to at least act as more of a voice on these issues because I feel at the moment there is a lot of dishonesty with the state of our roads , so even if it’s something I can’t directly influence, being in a position where I can be an honest spokesperson for the community is also really important.”

Has here been a difference between standing to be a City and County Councillor?

“I think to me they’ve been very, very similar. County has surprisingly been slightly easier because the ward is slightly smaller. In most places that isn’t the case but my county division is smaller than the city ward. No one really understands the difference between a City Council and a County Council so I’m having the same conversations no matter what, basically.

Nothing has really changed, and I think thankfully some of the hot-button issues that people cared about a couple of years ago are no longer as relevant.”

How would you like to see the Green Party supporting young candidates?

“I think the Green Party has a bit of a diversity problem not just in terms of young candidates but also ethnic diversity, gender diversity, diversity of sexuality.

When you’re dealing with people, some of whom are like highly trained professionals, it’s really easy to get pushed into believing that your views can’t add any value to the discussion. I know it’s something the national party is cognizant of but I do think it needs to do more to support young candidates and help local parties cultivate a better environment for young people because older people tend to have more time on their hands and more time to do political stuff so that can lead to unfortunate things where young people get sidelined.”

What advice would you give to parties to increase youth involvement in the party?

“I feel so much more confident than I was 3 years ago, I’m a completely different person now…I can be more articulate, but it is a skill itself that you need to refine over time that requires practice. So I think the advice I would give, and I think the Young Greens do really good work on this with 30 under 30, is to improve people’s confidence, make sure they recognise that they have a valuable perspective to add because that makes the party stronger as a whole. It also means you can talk and address a more diverse array of issues.

We are seeing a real big push amongst younger members to reform the local party at the moment, so I think the key thing is allowing there to be spaces for young people to talk and communicate.”

How do you think this year’s local elections will influence the Green Party and the Young Greens going forward?

“I think a lot of people would probably focus on results and net-gaining councillors. Some stuff I would like to see, and I think a lot of Young Greens have been this way, is for the party to get a bit more sharp with its messaging. I have found talking to a lot of Reform voters, as many people have, that these people are just looking for some change and will go to whatever is presented with them. And I do think honestly the Green Party could take a lot of that attention from Reform.

So I would really like it if we could strengthen our messaging, perhaps lay a bit of groundwork for some future general election campaigns, and put up a good fight against Reform, that’s what I’d like to see from this local election.”

Is there anything else you would like to add?

“I think the Young Greens do a really good job of empowering people. I think there just needs to be a bit more of a bridge between the national party and what young people are doing.  I think the Young Greens are really on it with a whole bunch of stuff they do such as social media; we have so many really good candidates who are some of the best speakers in the party.”

If you have any questions for Elliot or want to find out more about his role as Councillor, you can contact him via: [email protected]

Wherever young people’s lives may take them, the Young Greens are there to represent and advocate for their needs, views and wants, championing the rights of students and young people aged up to 30 across England and Wales.

We’re working hard to get more Greens elected. Join us, and let’s make it happen.

The post “Being In a Position Where I Can Be An Honest Spokesperson for The Community is Really Important” An Interview with Councillor Elliot Tong appeared first on Young Greens.

The post Statement by the Young Greens on comments by Adrian Ramsay MP on the recent Supreme Court ruling. appeared first on Young Greens.

Austerity is a political choice and Labour’s continued refusal to implement a wealth tax, the case for which has never been greater, demonstrates their incapability of providing the change that the public voted for.

Responding to the Chancellors’ welfare spending reductions, the Young Greens Disability Officer, Elliott Lee said:

“£4.8 Billion in welfare cuts is Austerity, let’s be blunt. The Chancellor has said that these are tough choices yet everyone knows there are alternatives. Labour are not brave enough to be making enemies with the ultra-wealthy to fund the welfare state, it says everything you need to know about the Government.

The impact this will have on those with Disabilities is astronomical. As it is we know the benefits package is not enough for those most vulnerable and this will only have a knock-on impact on families & carers, it’s going to push key services to breaking point. I am particularly concerned about the reduction in incapacity benefits for under 22-year-olds, The cost of being disabled is debilitating enough for those seeking Independence. This is only going to send many into isolation and destitution.”

Wherever young people’s lives may take them, the Young Greens are there to represent and advocate for their needs, views and wants, championing the rights of students and young people aged up to 30 across England and Wales.

We’re working hard to get more Greens elected. Join us, and let’s make it happen.

The post Labour’s welfare cuts will “push our key services to breaking point” appeared first on Young Greens.

The event was open to all Young Green members regardless of previous experience or involvement, and it was a pleasure to see so many young people attend both in Leeds and online. We’re delighted that this was our most well attended Winter General Meeting yet, signifying young people’s move to the Green Party.

The day started with a welcome from our executive committee, followed by the reading of committee members 6 month reports.

Most notably, Winter General Meeting allows members to vote on motions and any amendments submitted prior to the meeting.

Motions passed this year:

• Better youth participation in local life
• Building a green future
• Utilising nuclear to move towards net zero
• Inclusivity in sport: solidarity with transgender athletes
• Calling for a lasting peace in the Middle East and justice for the Palestinian people
• Fix the housing crisis: build more homes

The full motions can be read on the Young Greens Democracy Platform and accessed here.

In the afternoon we were joined by Mothin Ali, Councillor on Leeds City Council for an insightful Q & A about his time as a councillor and the issues that matter most to him.

We would like to say thank you to every member who joined us last weekend both online and in Leeds. It was an invaluable opportunity for members to connect, build networks, and both learn about, and importantly contribute, to how the Young Greens is run.

Stay connected on more updates of how we are shaping the future of the Young Greens:

Young Greens (@young.greens) • Instagram photos and videos

Young Greens 🌱 (@YoungGreenParty) / X

Wherever young people’s lives may take them, the Young Greens are there to represent and advocate for their needs, views and wants, championing the rights of students and young people aged up to 30 across England and Wales.

We’re working hard on getting more Greens elected. Join us, and let’s make it happen.

The post Young Greens Winter General Meeting Round up appeared first on Young Greens.

Oil and gas companies Shell, Equinor and Ithaca must now seek new approval from the UK government before production can begin.

The Young Greens welcome this court ruling, which signals a step forward towards a sustainable fossil-free future. It has long been clear that investment in a just transition is essential in supporting long-term and secure jobs for workers. This can only be achieved through a transition to clean energy industries.

The Young Greens Co-Chair Callum Clafferty said:

“We celebrate the decision today to rule Rosebank unlawful. Oil and gas cannot be allowed to expand whilst we accelerate to climate catastrophe. This is a victory for social and climate justice, showing that lining the pockets of oil and gas CEOs must not stand in the way of a liveable planet. The dedicated work of countless activists and campaigners has made this possible. We have to keep up the pressure to ensure the decision isn’t appealed and Labour don’t backtrack further and re-approve oil and gas expansion in the North Sea. Today is another step in the right direction and now we must organise to enable a just transition away from oil and gas to become a reality. We have to act now to ensure that no community is left behind in the transition to a sustainable society”

Wherever young people’s lives may take them, the Young Greens are there to represent and advocate for their needs, views and wants, championing the rights of students and young people aged up to 30 across England and Wales. We’re working hard on getting more Greens elected. Join us, and let’s make it happen.

Join the Young Make Votes Matter network and be kept up to date with how you can make a difference.

The post Court Ruling a Welcome Move Away from New Oil and Gas appeared first on Young Greens.

The Bill saw 138 MPs from 6 parties vote in favour.

However, The Elections (Proportional Representation) Ten Minute Rule Bill is not likely to progress, due to Keir Starmer’s government refusing to give it parliamentary time for further debate. 

Keir Starmer’s continued inaction over our failing voting system has again let the UK electorate, and under 18s, down, u-turning on his previous pledge for electoral reform announced during the 2020 Labour leadership campaign.  

This year’s general election was one of the most unrepresentative in UK history: with only 34% of the vote share, Labour gained a landslide victory. Under this system, political diversity is suppressed. Keir Starmer’s refusal to commit to real electoral reform demonstrates a broken voting system which pressures tactical voting and does not reflect the voice of the public.

According to the Electoral Reform Society, the Green Party, with about 7% of the vote, should have around 40 MPs. Under first-past-the-post , this translates to just 0.6% of MPs. Green votes are being devalued and underrepresented, and this Bill has the opportunity to restore the public’s trust in UK democracy. 

For young people, whose future rests on the outcome of general elections and politicians in power, Proportional Representation is required more than ever. 

The Young Greens have been working with Campaign group Make Votes Matter as they launch their new youth wing, Young Make Votes Matter, a cross-party network dedicated to mobilising the next generation of voters.

Livvy Gibbs, South East Scotland Representative at Young Make Votes Matter, commented on the Bill: 

“Young Make Votes Matter believes in building a democracy that truly reflects the diverse voices of our generation.

Achieving PR isn’t just about fairness; it’s about creating a political system where every vote counts, empowering communities, and delivering better outcomes for people and the planet. 

With trust in politics at an all-time low, PR offers a vital opportunity to reimagine our democracy as one that fosters collaboration and equips us to meet the challenges of the future.

This Ten Minute Rule Bill represents a meaningful step toward that vision, and Young Make Votes Matter is proud to champion it.” 

The Green Party are calling for the replacement of the undemocratic first-past-the-post system for parliamentary and council elections with a fair and proportional voting system.

Wherever young people’s lives may take them, the Young Greens are there to represent and advocate for their needs, views and wants, championing the rights of students and young people aged up to 30 across England and Wales. We’re working hard on getting more Greens elected. Join us, and let’s make it happen.

Join the Young Votes Matter network and be kept up to date with how you can make a difference.

The post Young Greens Support Commons vote to move to Proportional Representation appeared first on Young Greens.

Anti-trans hate is being pushed everyday by the media, politicians and throughout society and the Young Greens will always stand against transphobia in all its forms.

Jenny Knight, Co-chair of the Trans Young Greens , said:

“This Trans Day of Remembrance I’d like to call upon ex-Stonewall campaigner Wes Streeting to remember who threw the first brick. I call on him to join us as we celebrate the lives of those we have lost, our siblings who have died whilst waiting for healthcare, those who were taken from us by transphobic violence and the trans people that history tries to forget.

I call on the Labour Party to listen to trans voices, trans kids deserve better than a puberty blocker ban that puts their wellbeing at risk and they deserve better than be turned into a political football so that the health secretary can engage in his favourite past time of courting the far-right on GB news.

I call on the health minister to join us in remembering Marsha P. Johnson, the Stonewall riots, and the values that Streeting himself once stood for as part of Stonewall. If Streeting was to hold true to his ideals he would lift the puberty blocker ban and work to improve the waiting times for gender identity clinics. We as the queer community stand on the shoulders of giants who pioneered the way for our rights and we at the Trans Young Greens hope Mr Streeting will remember who’s shoulders he’s standing on.”

Today, we remember those who have been lost to anti-trans violence and call for an end to the scapegoating of the trans community. If we are going to achieve justice and equality, it is vitally important that we remember those that we have lost.

The post Trans Day of Remembrance appeared first on Young Greens.

It has been over 100 days since Keir Starmer became Prime Minister. And so far, a disappointing start to the country’s first term since the end of 14 years under the Conservatives.

At a time when radical and positive change is required more than ever, this budget affords that opportunity to the Labour Party. We need a budget that stands for a greener and fairer future for all:

Increase funding for public services:

Our public services have been enormously underfunded under the Conservatives. The country desperately needs a public, properly funded health and social care system, including an NHS free from the risk of privatisation. This also includes reversing the failed privatisation of energy, water, and transport. 

End tuition fees:

The discourse surrounding the increase in tuition fees to £10,500 a year delivers yet another blow to students. 

After constant years of Conservative cutbacks, students had hoped that things might be different under the new Labour government. This hope has since changed to anger and frustration. To expect students to pay over £10,000 a year for often very limited contact hours with teaching staff shows a distinct lack of consideration for working people and students.

The Green Party is calling on the government to introduce a wealth tax on the ultra-rich. This would ensure that students are not bearing the brunt of the university funding crisis, in addition to raising the wages of higher education workers who have seen their salaries fall compared with inflation for more than a decade.

It should be the government, not students or staff, that funds education. Tuition fees and student debt should be scrapped, replacing student loans with maintenance grants tied to the rate of inflation.

Affordable transport: 

Public transport needs to be affordable for all, especially for young people, who are among its most reliant. The Young Greens strongly oppose the scrapping of the £2 fare cap in England.

This will raise little funds for the government and will instead harm those who simply cannot access, or afford, other means of travel. It is also vitally important that our government makes it easier for people to opt for greener modes of transport as the climate crisis continues to escalate. 

The Green Party supports an increase to annual public subsidies for rail and bus travel to £10bn by the end of the next Parliament, in addition to free bus travel for under-18s.

Young Green Co-Chairs Luanne Thornton and Callum Clafferty commented:

“The budget is Labour’s first major chance to deliver on their promise of change. They have a choice, either to radically transform our system for the benefit of people and the planet or more of the same, destructive, neo-liberal austerity. 

The choice should be an easy one: tax the wealthy and heavy polluters, invest in our public services, and start undoing the damage of 14 years of Conservative government. 

No matter what, the Young Greens will always side with climate, social, racial, and economic justice. If you want real hope and real change, join us today.”

The post Young Greens Hopes for The Upcoming Labour Budget appeared first on Young Greens.

We speak to Lance Symonds, a young green, and general election candidate about his experiences standing in North Cornwall.

Tell us a little bit about yourself ?

“My name is Lance Symonds; I’m 20 years old, currently studying for a law degree at Chichester University, and I stood in the constituency of North Cornwall during the general election in July of this year.

I have lived in Cornwall, particularly the town of Bude, aside from my time at university, all of my life. I’ve been involved in a lot of LGBTQ+ activist work in my teenage years, and I have also coordinated and had other committee executive roles in Cornwall Green Party.”

What was your favourite experience of standing in the general election, and what was the most challenging?

“The greatest experience I had, apart from the whole experience itself, which was a complete honour to do and I’m very, very happy I did, was the hustings. Both on BBC radio, which was put on the BBC i player for their Your Voice, Your Vote, and also in person hustings in Launceston. Both of these I enjoyed significantly and only received positive feedback.

In terms of the biggest challenge, I would have to say the anxiety of how unpredictable it all was. We had all sorts of opinion polls and predictions, either nationally or in specific seats, where the results varied so significantly, and the difference in the number of vote share predictions meant that I had no idea what was going to happen; that all just made me really nervous.”

What kind of preparation was necessary for your hustings?

“The two hustings I did were very different experiences. One of them being recorded on TV, there was a lot more preparation in terms of letting us know what was going on more specifically. This hustings was a lot more limited time-wise and also had all six candidates present. However, during the hustings held in person in Launceston, the Conservatives and Labour didn’t attend, which meant the rest of the candidates had more time. They actually took in live audience questions, and it wasn’t recorded, so the majority of the setup was less formal and consisted of giving us mics and figuring out where we were sitting.”

How did you find the process of becoming a general election candidate, and did you feel supported in this experience?

“That’s actually an incredibly long story! I originally joined the Green Party because I wanted a left-wing party that was united in its views. Other parties, it seems, are constantly fighting about what they actually believe in; meanwhile, there’s a sense of identity here. I joined the Green Party as a member in 2020 and later came into contact with someone who worked in the local party, and they mentioned the vacancy in the general election seats. At the time, I was around 16 or 17, which obviously is a big decision to make, but I was already so mentally prepared and really wanted to just take it on right then and there. So the year after, I made it clear that I would run as a candidate.

Eventually, I got selected to be the North Cornwall general election candidate at the age of 18. I want to thank the people in the local party for all their advice and support, such as filling out the forms and paperwork, preparing me for debates and hustings, making sure that my public speaking was on point, and all the mental support that was given.”

Is there anything you would have differently, or would change if you were to stand again?

“I have actually already stated that I will be standing again in the same seat in 2029.

I believe my constituents deserve that from me; they deserve someone to represent them. Cornwall has been a very ignored region of the United Kingdom, and we’ve been side-lined on a lot of issues and had our budgets cut because they’ve decided to make this different national plan for us. We need the proper representation to speak up for us so that we can actually solve the major issues that we have down here as residents. So I want to deliver that, and I really would love to do that again.

As for things I would do differently,  I would definitely work on getting more people involved in terms of door-knocking and canvassing. Being able to give it more effort and resources than I did this year, I would love to do so much more next time.”

Why do the Green Party and its policies need to be represented in your constituency?

I think there’s something local to be said about what linked the Green Party to me and the Cornish people.

It’s very hard to afford housing right now because of the number of second homes and holiday homes that take up the space, meaning we have fewer houses available, which means they become more expensive, and rents have been increasing like crazy. The water sewage is also ridiculous because we pride ourselves on having really clean and beautiful seasoned beaches, only for these water companies to be dumping tons of sewage in them, with five of our six previous Cornish MPs all essentially voting to allow this.”

What do you want to see from our 4 MPs, particularly for young people?

“I think that what they are currently doing is speaking out against the government and holding them accountable, which is exactly what they had promised to do in the run up to the election. It was exactly how we said we were going to make changes in the country for constituents and for the United Kingdom as a whole. I personally would love to see and hope that the voting age is lowered to 16 as well as a voting system change. I’m glad to know that the national service plan isn’t going to be happening because that was….interesting”

I also want to see it become easier to figure out living in general because, once I finish university, trying to figure out where I’m going to live is a scary thought. There’s no way I would be able to get a mortgage, so I would have to rent. And if there’s not enough rent controls on landlords, I’m going to be in serious trouble affording a lot of things.”

What would you say to young people thinking about standing in the next general or local election, or looking to get involved in green politics more generally?

“I think that a large part of it is getting those who are very passionate to stand in those areas. There’s also a lot of refinement in your technique and what your role is during the campaigning process. Working on and practicing this is vital. When I had decided to stand, I knew for a fact that I had to work on making sure I remained composed in debates and stayed on target to get my actual point across while still being able to deliver a form of charisma when talking to constituents about what they needed to hear.

So an important part is making sure that you’re always practising. You’re always training towards making sure you can give the best you can to your constituents.

A lot of us that are standing, it’s not always just because of the view that ‘politics is fun’ and we’re really interested in it. I’m sure for a lot of us that’s true, it’s true for me, but some of us are doing this because we feel like we have to and that we’re running out of time. So we’ve got to make sure that we are giving it the best effort we can.”

If you have any further questions for Lance, you can find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100085350531941

Wherever young people’s lives may take them, the Young Greens are there to represent and advocate for their needs, views and wants, championing the rights of students and young people aged up to 30 across England and Wales. We’re working hard on getting more Greens elected. If you haven’t already, join us, and let’s make it happen.

The post “It’s a big decision to make but I wanted to take it on right then and there”: An interview with general election candidate Lance Symonds.  appeared first on Young Greens.