Tribune 453 (published on 11 July) included an article on the Full Council meeting of 8 July. It was a balanced and fair assessment of the current dynamics of local politics, concluding with the paragraph: “The Liberal Democrats remain dominant, but their appetite for bold decisions is visibly limited. The Greens, though small in number, continue to press them on transparency, environmental issues, and public accountability. For a Council that often discusses ambition, it is time to demonstrate it through actions as well as words.”
As the Opposition on Richmond Council, the Green Group of councillors know from experience that the main weakness in the Liberal Democrat administration is its unwillingness to match its many laudable ambitions with direct action.
However, this article is really intended to illustrate the fact that – unknown to most residents – a small revolution has taken place in Richmond. While out campaigning for the last Council elections in 2022, Green candidates and campaigners heard residents talking about how fed up they were with politics as usual – the ding-dong battles, the fake antagonism and name-calling. They wanted grown-up, collaborative politics, rather than the same old rubbish.
And I’m immensely proud that we have taken them at their word and, since becoming the Opposition on Richmond Council, we have acted exactly in that way – taking each issue on its merits and treating it with conviction. We have sometimes agreed with the administration and supported them – and vice-versa.
We have always proposed changes that would improve the Council’s work: for instance, we brought a debate on the topic of housing to a Full Council meeting – a debate which resulted in acknowledgment of the need for the Liberal Democrat administration to do more to provide affordable housing for residents in the borough. We’ve also instigated important work on removing obstacles for residents who want to make their homes more energy-efficient and reduce their carbon emissions through installing low-carbon technologies like solar photovoltaics and heat pumps.
The Opposition has challenged the administration where it has ignored residents’ voices or made decisions that were lacking in transparency. Every administration that has a large majority (in Richmond, 49 Liberal Democrats to 5 Greens) will be tempted to act with impunity and retrospectively justify its actions. We have asked hard questions, as in the Pensford Field saga referred to in the Tribune 453 article and the Pools on the Park health suite debacle
We’ve pressed the administration hard to make good on its commitments on climate action and transport. We’ve also listened to residents who have complained about the problems associated with Lime bikes and called for tougher action to control them. We’ve supported some of the most vulnerable people in our society by pushing for a change in how the Council acts when collecting Council Tax arrears. Typically the Council takes legal action against residents who have fallen into Council Tax arrears where, in almost all cases, this has happened because of bureaucratic processes.
We’ve persuaded the administration to declare a Climate Emergency; to pay staff and contractors a fair wage; to improve waste and recycling collection. We’ve intervened in hundreds of cases where residents asked for our help: whether they were having problems with their landlords or their neighbours or their street was full of litter.
Greens on your Council are making a difference. We are not whipped into line. When this term of office ends next May, I know I will be proud to say that we have left the Council in a better state than it would have been without us there. There is no other party in Richmond borough holding the Liberal Democrats to account or putting in the effort to win in next year’s local elections. Your choice in May 2026 is between the Greens and the Liberal Democrats.
The Green Party is on the rise in the polls, and we now have more members across Great Britain than the Liberal Democrats. Come and join us to keep the Greens as the Opposition in Richmond. We are holding a “Meet the Greens” event on Tuesday 21st October at The Exchange in Twickenham.
Sign up here: https://www.rtgp.org.uk/meet.
I heartily invite readers to come along and be part of the Green wave in Richmond!
