The Green Party has gained a second councillor in Greenwich after a former Labour member joined their ranks with four months to go until the next election.
Lakshan Saldin will stand for the Greens in Charlton Hornfair ward, where he was elected for Labour in 2022. The chartered engineer has sat as an independent since quitting Labour in September after being barred from standing for the party.
Saldin will join Tamasin Rhymes, who became Greenwich’s first Green councillor in June last year after winning the Shooters Hill by-election. The two will continue to sit in the four-strong Independent and Green group on the council.
He said: “I got involved in politics because I believe everyone has the right to feel safe, have equal access to opportunities, be treated with respect, and to be heard. For more than three decades I supported the Labour Party in the belief that they felt the same. But after the last few years of Labour in opposition and in government, I no longer believe this to be the case.
“We need political parties that stand up for British values of welcome, inclusivity, diversity and fairness, and celebrate all the people who keep our hospitals, schools and economy running. We need politicians and councillors who will hold national government and local councils to account and stand up for their communities. And we need people with the courage to advocate for a fair and equitable society which serves everyone and protects our planet for future generations.
“This is what the Green Party stands for, and I am delighted to be part of a new era of Green politics in Greenwich. I have always put residents first and as a Green Party councillor I will continue to do so.”
Labour has run Greenwich since 1971, but the rise of both the Greens and Reform UK means the coming council election, on May 7, is likely to be Labour’s most difficult since 1968, when the party lost control of Greenwich to the Conservatives.
The Greens say their membership numbers in Greenwich have trebled since Zack Polanski became leader in September. Saldin’s announcement came just hours after a third Labour councillor defected to the Greens in Southwark. The party also has two councillors in Lewisham, also both former Labour representatives.
As well as Sir Keir Starmer’s national difficulties, local controversies have also aided Labour’s opponents in Greenwich: Saldin will be hoping to capitalise on unhappiness about the low-traffic neighbourhood in Greenwich and Blackheath, which has led to rush-hour congestion in side streets in his ward.
Rhymes said: “I am thrilled with Cllr Saldin’s decision to join the Green Party and to stand as a Green candidate in May. Lakshan Saldin is a committed and energetic councillor who works hard to represent the interests of local residents and to hold the council to account. I have seen that first hand working with him since September in the Independent and Green group and look forward to working with him more closely in the future.”
The other two members of the Independent and Green group, Majella Anning and Ann-Marie Cousins, have not yet said whether they will stand in May.
Greenwich currently has 47 Labour councillors facing two equally-sized opposition groups: four Conservatives and four Independent and Green councillors. The Labour-run council initially barred the Independents and Greens from sitting on committees, but later backed down after a challenge from the group.
In September, The Greenwich Wire reported that of the current Labour councillors, 14 were standing down, including ten women. This number has since grown to 16 councillors, including 12 women, with Pat Slattery, the cabinet member for housing, and Clare Burke-McDonald, Saldin’s fellow councillor in Charlton Hornfair, also opting to leave.
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