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25
Feb
Green Party decides not to campaign in Valley Gardens by-election
The Green Party has decided not to campaign in the run-up to next month’s Valley Gardens by-election to prevent right-wing parties from winning.
The Harrogate Town Council by-election was triggered by the resignation of Liberal Democrat Edward Metcalfe.
Voters will go to the polls on March 19 to elect one of the following four candidates.
- Tracey Joan De Wet, Reform UK
- Alex Ireland, Green Party
- Thomas James Martin, Conservatives
- Nat Slater, Liberal Democrats
Although Mr Ireland will stand, he will not campaign. The decision follows an appeal by Compass York and North Yorkshire, which is a group affiliated to the national Compass organisation that supports electoral reform, urging political parties to work together to stop Reform UK from winning the Valley Gardens seat.
Today’s statement from the executive of the Harrogate and Knaresborough branch of the Green Party said:
In this by-election we have an excellent candidate but we are aware of the dangers of splitting the progressive vote and letting the right in by default. With the support of our candidate, the Green Party has therefore decided not to campaign this seat, but we will still give people the chance to vote Green on the ballot sheet. It follows that we will therefore not be providing a bio or a photograph of our candidate for publication.
The statement added criticised the current first-past-the-post voting system for “making many people consider that voting, especially in local elections and particularly in by-elections, is not worth the effort”.
Green Party councillor Arnold Warneken, who represents Ouseburn on North Yorkshire Council, said:
“If we want to change how politicians are perceived by the electorate then working cross party is a great start. The public are not impressed with tribalism and bickering whilst their lives are impacted from a lack of cross-party cooperation.”
The Lib Dems hold 15 of 19 seats on the town council. The Conservatives have two, Reform UK has one and there is one Independent.
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