THE Greens have emerged as the biggest party on Bristol City Council following yesterday’s local elections – but are two councillors short of an overall majority.
The party ended with 34 councillors out of 70 elected.
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats made gains at the expense of the Conservatives, but Labour, which ran the council for the last eight years under Mayor Marvin Rees, ended with a net loss of two councillors, leaving them on 21.
Labour lose Eastville seat – but gain in Frome Vale
In the Fishponds area Labour lost one seat to the Greens, with Eastville councillor Marley Bennett losing out by 104 votes to Green challenger Ed Fraser, while sitting Green councillor Lorraine Francis topped the poll with 2,339 votes.
However Labour also gained a seat in Frome Vale, where the party’s candidates Louis Martin and Al Al-Maghrabi topped the poll.
Previously the Conservatives had held one of the two Frome Vale seats, but after long-standing councillor Lesley Alexander retired, Tory candidates Pooja and Tulsidas Poddar were forced into fifth and sixth place respectively by the Greens.
In Hillfields sitting Labour councillor Ellie King and Kelvin Blake, who replaced retiring councillor Craig Cheney on the ballot, were both elected, with a gap of 362 votes to the Greens.
Greens gain 10 seats, Tories lose 7
Across the city, the Greens gained an extra 10 seats.
The Lib Dems have eight members in the chamber, an increase of three, while the Tories lost half of their 14 seats and now have just seven.
Both Knowle Community Party councillors – who defected from the Lib Dems after the 2021 local elections to form their own party – were voted out, including veteran councillor Gary Hopkins, and were replaced by Greens.
In Westbury-on-Trym & Henleaze, a gigantic swing from Conservative to Liberal Democrat saw all three Tories lost their seats to the three Lib Dems, who include former Lib Dem Bristol West MP and government minister Stephen Williams.
Negotiations ahead as no party has majority
Tony Dyer, who was returned in Southville, is likely to become the council leader, as he is the Green nominee for that new role.
After the final ward’s declaration this evening he said: “My reaction is one of pride in what we’ve done and the message we have given out, pride in sticking to our values.
“It has been a hell of a lot of work by a lot of people, not just the people here but all the volunteers across the city, the people who helped to knock on doors.
“If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here.
“We want to work with others – other parties but also community groups and organisations within the city and beyond.”
Labour group leader Tom Renhard said the party had some very good results, adding: “We’ll take stock over the weekend and see what it means for how the committee system will work. We’ve been picking up seats off of the Conservatives, as we’ve seen nationally. We’ve seen that swing away from the Conservatives to Labour.”
As no party won a majority in the council — 36 seats or more — political leaders are now expected to start negotiating power-sharing deals. This means it’s still unclear who will actually take charge of the council, and talks between the parties could last the next couple of weeks.
But because the Greens have 34 councillors, it is likely they will be in control as all three other parties would have to combine to prevent this.
Results
(All figures from Bristol City Council)
Eastville
| Marley BENNETT | Labour Party | 1,568 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul BOOBYER | Conservative Party | 277 | |
| Lorraine FRANCIS | Green Party | 2,339 | Elected |
| Ed FRASER | Green Party | 1,672 | Elected |
| Annabel GRIFFITHS | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 84 | |
| Timothy HOBBS | Liberal Democrat | 116 | |
| Elaine IFFLAND | Conservative Party | 234 | |
| Mike LUFF | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 69 | |
| Mohammad RASHID | Liberal Democrat | 105 | |
| Teresa STRATFORD | Labour Party | 1,027 |
Frome Vale
| Al AL-MAGHRABI | Labour Party | 1,339 | Elected |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochelle AMOS | Liberal Democrat | 214 | |
| Keith FENNER | Liberal Democrat | 214 | |
| Brian HEALY | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 86 | |
| Jen LAW | Green Party | 899 | |
| Gabrielle LOBB | Green Party | 724 | |
| Louis MARTIN | Labour Party | 1,402 | Elected |
| Pooja PODDAR | Conservative Party | 447 | |
| Tulsidas PODDAR | Conservative Party | 377 | |
| Tommy TRUEMAN | Social Democratic Party | 188 |
Hillfields
| Rory ADAMSON | Conservative Party | 310 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deborah BISHOP | Liberal Democrat | 167 | |
| Kelvin BLAKE | Labour Party | 1,081 | Elected |
| Enrico CORRADI | Conservative Party | 257 | |
| Jon ECCLES | Green Party | 719 | |
| Ellie KING | Labour Party | 1,155 | Elected |
| Rick LOVERING | Green Party | 513 | |
| Dan SMART | Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition | 77 | |
| Sarah SPILSBURY | Liberal Democrat | 109 |
Main report by Adam Postans and Alex Seabrook, Local Democracy Reporting Service