Councillor Matt Edwards, leader of the Green Party on Bradford Council, has revealed that his party is aiming to “treble” its number of councillors in Bradford to 30 in the local elections next May.
Edwards outlined the party’s ambitious electoral targets for Bradford at an event called “How to Capitalise on the Green Surge” on Tuesday.
He said that there was “a real excitement” around the Greens in Bradford, and that the party’s messages on inequality and environmental issues were resonating in the city.
Speaking exclusively with Yorkshire Voice, he said: “We’ve been going fast, and we’re at a point now where we’re ready to make a big jump and be in a place where we can actually influence things in the city.”
His comments come after the Green Party has experienced an unprecedented surge in membership and popularity in recent months.
This surge led to Green Party membership overtaking that of the Conservatives in the past month, making the Greens the third-largest political party in the UK with over 150,000 members.
Edwards said that this increase has also been reflected locally. “Across West Yorkshire, we’ve doubled the number of members in just a couple of months, and that’s phenomenal.”
He attributed this rise in popularity to the election of Zack Polanski as Green Party leader in September.
Edwards said: “The vibe has shifted since Zack was elected. Our policies haven’t changed, what we stand for hasn’t changed.
“We’re just being much more authentic with how we’re talking and we’re speaking to potential voters in a way we’ve never done before.”
A recent YouGov poll put the Green Party on 15% nationally, their highest figure ever recorded by YouGov. It also showed the Greens on 17% in the North of England, a figure that will give confidence to a party aiming to increase its representation in the region.
The Greens currently have four MPs, but none represent constituencies north of Birmingham. Party leader Zack Polanksi has previously outlined his ambition to change this by winning more council and Parliamentary seats in the North.
Edwards said that the Greens are “serious” about having MPs in the North, adding that the recent election of Leeds-based councillor Mothin Ali as deputy leader would help the Greens achieve that aim.
He said: “One of the things that sets Mothin apart is that he’s a working-class guy living in Leeds.
At a time when politicians have their sound bites and say what they think people want to hear, Mothin’s genuine, and I think that’s grounded in the fact that he is Northern.”
Edwards also said that electing councillors will be an important step toward the Greens’ ambition of electing MPs in the region. He said: “When we get Green councillors elected, that’s the stepping stone for us getting Green MPs elected.
“We’ve got big council groups across the north of England, places where sizable communities are voting Green, and it’s in these places where we’re going to be bringing the fight to the established parties.”