Manchester Greens are celebrating a positive set of results in Thursday’s local elections after successfully defending a seat. The party now has three councillors representing the party in Manchester Town Hall.
Cllr Rob Nunney was re-elected in the Wythenshawe ward of Woodhouse Park, making it four wins in a row for the Greens in the ward and maintaining the ward’s full slate of three Green councillors.
Scott Robinson came close to becoming the Green Party’s first councillor in Piccadilly, while the party also achieved strong second-place results in wards like Deansgate.
There was one sad result for the Greens, however, as Cllr Ekua Bayunu’s seat in Hulme returned to Labour after she served two years as a Green councillor. She joined the Greens in 2022 after she was elected as a Labour councillor in 2021.
Although Manchester Greens didn’t gain a seat this year, the local elections proved promising overall for the party, as it remained Manchester’s most popular opposition party.
A full slate of 33 Green candidates stood across Manchester’s 32 wards, with the party winning a record 17.9% of the vote and finishing second place in 14 wards across the city.
Cllr Astrid Johnson, Leader of the Green Party on Manchester City Council, said: “Overall, these results give us plenty of optimism. They show that people here in Manchester have put their trust in the Green Party – they know we do politics differently and put local people and our environment first.
“Congratulations to my colleague Rob on his re-election – he will continue to give his all to address the issues that matter most to residents.
“Thank you to every voter and campaigner who helped get Greens elected here. Our councillors will continue to work tirelessly for a fairer, greener Manchester.”
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Notes to editors:
The Green Party are the second largest opposition party on Manchester City Council with three councillors. The Green group leader is Cllr Astrid Johnson.
Manchester is one of five Greater Manchester boroughs with Green representation. In addition to councillors in Manchester, the Greens have active councillors in Bolton, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford.
The Green Party now has over 800 councillors across England and Wales, two members of the House of Lords, three London Assembly members and one Member of Parliament.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact Chris Ogden at press@manchester.greenparty.org.uk.