Greens won their second seat on Exeter City Council in last week’s local elections. Amy Sparling (left) has become the second Green councillor in St David’s ward, taking the seat from Labour – the only seat to change hands in the city. The Green Party also missed winning a third seat in Heavitree by just 16 votes, while quadrupling their vote in Newtown and St Leonard’s compared to the 2018 result.
In the County Council elections, the Green party increased their vote share in every division compared to 2017 and achieved a 20% increase in St David’s & Haven Banks, coming a close second to Labour.
Amy Sparling, the new Green Party councillor in St David’s, said:
“People in St David’s have seen how hard a Green councillor works for them. I am delighted to join Cllr Diana Moore and am so grateful that people in the ward have entrusted me to be their councillor. We will build on our good progress this year and look to win more seats in 2022. The future of Exeter is Green.”
Greens achieved a 21.5% vote share across the city in seats where they stood, achieving their highest vote share ever and consolidating their position as the third political party in Exeter.
Councillor Diana Moore said:
“We are winning in Exeter, building our support year on year. Labour’s grip on the city is ebbing away, and it is the Green Party that is providing the real challenge. We set the agenda for the local elections, with Labour forced into defending their record.”
The Green Party will continue to work as part of the Progressive Group on the Council, which will now number five – two Green councillors, two Liberal Democrats and an Independent.