11 June 2015
Swale Green Party stood more candidates in the May 2015 elections, and got a bigger share of the vote, than ever before.
In the Parliamentary election Tim Valentine contested Faversham & Mid Kent for the second time and doubled the Green vote compared to 2010. Gary Miller stood in Sittingbourne & Sheppey - the first that time the Green Party had fielded a candidate for MP there.
Tina Hagger and Gary Miller were the Green Party candidates for Abbey ward in the Swale Borough Council and Faversham Town Council election, obtaining around 17% of the vote. The Green party also contested St Ann's, Priory, Watling, Boughton & Courtenay and East Downs wards.
For the first time Kent Green Party contested all 17 Kent constituencies. We saved our deposit in three constituencies: Canterbury, Folkestone & Hythe, and Tunbridge Wells. This is the first time the Green Party has saved a deposit in Kent.The largest share of the vote (7%) was in our target constituency, Canterbury & Whitstable.
Nationally the Green share of the vote quadrupled. More than 1.15 million people voted Green compared to 285,000 in 2010. And Caroline Lucas was re-elected as MP for Brighton Pavilion with an increased majority.
Membership of Swale Green Party has quadrupled in the last nine months; there are now 120 members in Swale and more than 1,650 members across Kent. This surge in membership reflects the national "Green Surge". With over 75,000 members in the UK, there are more members of the Green Party than of the Liberal Democrats or UKIP.
With our increased membership in Swale, we plan to step up our activity, especially in Sittingbourne and on the Isle of Sheppey where we have many new members. At the next election, for Kent County Council in 2017, we will contest seats across Swale.
4,500 people have joined the Green Party since polling day. If you want to be part of the Green surge you can join here, just £5 for students.
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