Political Viewpoint

Leigh On Sea News: Political Viewpoint – BY Coun Stuart Allen, Green & Progressive Independents Group Spokesperson.
The Greens Keep Growing
It’s been a strong year for the Greens in Southend, and I’m delighted to welcome Kay Mitchell and Anita Forde to the Green Group on Southend City Council.
One of the clearest signs of the progress we’re making is in Leigh, which is now fully Green. Residents have seen what Green representation looks like in practice and have backed us again. With three Green councillors working together across the ward, we’ll continue pushing for safer streets, better buses, improved playgrounds, more trees, and investment in our local neighbourhood.
We’ve also achieved a breakthrough in Chalkwell, a ward that had elected only Conservative councillors for almost three decades. That kind of result doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from years of hard work, listening to residents, and building trust. Kay will be an excellent councillor for Chalkwell.
Across Southend West and Leigh, the Green vote continues to grow. We secured 19.6% of the vote across the constituency, placing us ahead of Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
Election after election, more residents are choosing Green, and since Richard was first elected in 2023 we have doubled our number of councillors at every local election.
First Past the Post continues to leave many votes without representation. But even within that system, we secured strong second-place finishes, including in West Leigh and Belfairs, while also recording a number of solid third-place results across the city. The picture is becoming increasingly clear: we are establishing ourselves as a serious force in Southend politics.
People are looking for something different. They want representatives who focus on practical solutions rather than political theatre. They want cleaner streets, safer neighbourhoods, reliable transport, thriving local businesses and protected green spaces. They want councillors who listen and stand alongside them.
With four Green councillors now serving on the council, that remains our focus. We will continue fighting to protect the Green Belt, push to improve air and water quality, champion genuinely affordable housing in the right places, and make it easier for people to get around our city.
Following May’s elections, no party has overall control of the council. The Green Group remains proudly independent and firmly in opposition. We are not part of the administration, we are not in coalition, and we are not bound by any agreement with another political group.
That independence matters. It means we can judge every proposal on its merits and put residents first. At the most recent Full Council meeting, three Green councillors supported the continuation of the existing administration in the interests of stability during the final year of the council term, while one abstained.
That is exactly what independence looks like. We are free to support where it is right, challenge where it is necessary, and make decisions based on what is best for Southend rather than what benefits a political party or opposing for the sake of it.
We will continue to hold the Lab/Lib/Ind administration to account, particularly on issues such as Green Belt protection, outsourcing of public services and the significant cost implications of Local Government Reorganisation.
Protecting our Green Belt remains one of our top priorities. We are finalising a motion calling for stronger safeguards, and we hope colleagues from across the council chamber will support it. Once green space is lost, it is gone forever. The countryside surrounding our city is part of what makes Southend special, and it deserves robust protection.
We also want Southend to remain a welcoming, inclusive and forward-looking city. That means standing up for community services, supporting residents from all backgrounds, and investing in the things that help communities thrive. It means bringing people together rather than dividing them.
This year’s results show that more people are placing their trust in the Greens than ever before. More residents are joining the conversation, more communities are engaging with us, and more people are recognising that there is an alternative to the old ways of doing politics.
We are building something exciting in Southend: a movement rooted in local communities, focused on practical action, and committed to protecting both people and the planet.
Finally, thank you to every single person who voted Green in May. The trust you placed in us means a huge amount to our team. Southend’s growing Green movement is built on thousands of conversations, countless hours of volunteering, and people who believe our city can do better. We are proud of how far we’ve come, and even more excited about where we’re going next.
Picture: Coun Stuart Allen
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