In the Newcastle City Council by-election for the ward of South Jesmond, held on Thursday 7th August, Dr. Sarah Peters of the Newcastle Green Party won the vote, becoming the third Green Party Councillor on Newcastle City Council.
After the resignation of one of the ward’s 3 Labour Party councillors, Green Party campaigners wrote to the Newcastle City Council electoral services to request that a by-election be held. As a South Jesmond resident and active Green Party campaigner, Dr. Sarah Peters was selected to stand as the Green Party candidate.
The by-election campaigning period has seen great efforts from the Green Party, Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party, at a time when the UK political landscape is undergoing a dramatic shift. After consistently attaining third place in South Jesmond in all recent local elections, the surge in support for the Green Party along with a crumbling Labour vote share shows that voters are recognising the need for a different kind of politics.
Reflecting on the South Jesmond win, Dr. Peters said, “I’m honoured that South Jesmond residents have put their faith in me to represent them. Talking to residents on the doorstep it’s clear that people see the Green Party’s vision for positive change and community-orientated grassroots democracy as the solution to the challenges we face. I’m excited to work with my community over the coming months to understand how I can best represent them and effectively hold the Labour Party administration to account.”
Dr. Peters took 36.4% of the vote for the Green Party, beating out the Lib Dems at 33% and the incumbent Labour at 16.8%, as well as Reform and the Conservatives with 10.9% and 2.8% respectively.
This third council victory comes on the back of Elswick and Byker, where the Green Party saw success at the local elections last year. Greens now hold the balance of power on the Council. Since their election, Green councillors have been instrumental in supporting local campaigners. In June, Cllr Nick Hartley brought a motion to council to tackle child poverty, written with the mutual aid and campaign group Food & Solidarity, and the first opposition motion to pass unamended in a long time.