Motion #26

Association of Green Councillors

The Association of Green Councillors works to support elected Greens across England and Wales, through events, publications, networking opportunities and individual conversations and support. Subscriptions fund staffing and events. The AGC has many parish and town councillors, candidates, ex-councillors and local activists as members as well as our 800+ principal authority councillors. The work of the AGC, guided by the elected board, is carried out by a 0.5FTE Councillor Support Officer and a 0.6FTE Senior Local Government Political Adviser (SLGPA).

In the last year we delayed our annual AGC Conference due to the General Election so this will occur after the AGM (22-24 November). However, the SLGPA has attended and facilitated local away days for councillors in the Northwest, Gloucestershire and the East Midlands. Two further away days specifically for those holding administration positions were held early in 2024, one in London, the other is Worcester. These have all been well received and the appetite for in-person events remains strong as they provide the best co-learning experiences.

Alongside a monthly ‘catch-up’ call we have held on-line events – some with guest input from beyond the Green Party - to consider devolution, decarbonising council vehicle fleets, development of the GPEW General Election manifesto and latest thinking on retrofit. Greens in power climate portfolio holders have also held two catch up discussions.

The output from the SLGPA has shifted somewhat from general topic briefings to providing guidance on political situations councillors face. The last year has seen considerable attention given to supporting councillors to address the Israel/Gaza situation. Additionally, model motions or advisory emails have addressed topics from planning reform to long covid, to renewable energy infrastructure to the far-right political violence in the summer.

In July the LGA board approved the launch of a ‘Project for Inclusive Success’ designed to improve councillor diversity and the ability of councillors to be champions of inclusivity and diversity in their councils and areas. This work continues, though resourcing is limited, and data collection is challenging.

We published our second Impact Report ready for GPEW Conference, this time focusing on the work of Greens in administrations. The Board continue to believe that an Impact Report, or some other mechanism for the Party to scrutinise the work of elected Greens, should be a requirement, but for now we intend to continue producing these reports and looking for opportunities to promote our work to the party.

The General Election dominated the last year, with councillors playing a crucial role in mobilising members to win in the four target seats. Many of the strong second place results were won by councillors who had an established local support base, for example in Huddersfield, Sheffield and several London seats. Since the election our councillors have been guided to challenge Labour on issues such as planning and winter fuel allowances. We modelled some work with GPEW staff, councillors, the party’s policy experts to develop a response to Labour’s planning reforms. The process was not perfect but provided useful learning. The AGC is prompting others within the party to ensure we develop a strong collaborative approach between the Parliamentary Greens, councillors – especially those leading administrations, the policy specialists and the national party organisation, both regarding messaging and regarding developing policy positions in response to emerging issues. It is hoped that by the time of the Spring conference there is an agreed shape to this collaborative work.

The national network of Councillors continues to grow in size and strength. Our WhatsApp communities are incredibly active and currently host 353 councillors from all over the country. We have also developed a Greens in Power community so that those who hold positions in administration can easily connect and share learning. After hearing from members that access to online resources is difficult and considering an increased need for safe access for this growing community, we have decided to re-launch the AGC green space to give access to resources through a membership secure platform. We still have a closed Facebook group for Councillors that has 551 members, this is an informal space to share information and discuss council issues.