Green Party Faces Scrutiny as Nine London By-Elections Cost Taxpayers £250,000
Nine by-elections will proceed this summer following the London local elections, as several candidates, predominantly from the Green Party, were found ineligible to assume their roles. The projected financial burden for these additional polls is estimated at £250,000.
Ineligible Candidates and Costs
Eight of the nine by-elections are necessitated by issues with Green Party candidates, with one Labour seat also requiring a fresh contest. Reasons for disqualification include elected teachers being barred from council seats under electoral rules, and newly elected mayors vacating council seats, as they are prohibited from holding both positions concurrently.
Zoë Garbett in Hackney and Liam Shrivastava in Lewisham, both Green Party mayors, had to relinquish their council seats. James Tilden in Hackney Central and Muhammad Naser in Camden's Regent's Park ward, both Green candidates, were ineligible due to their teaching professions. Joanna Eaves in Lambeth's Clapham Park and Simon Anthony in Ealing's Acton North reportedly resigned post-election due to ill health.
In Haringey, the Green Party acknowledged prior knowledge of candidate Jayon Henriques' ineligibility for Northumberland Park ward but stated the disqualification was confirmed after the nomination deadline. Saiqa Ali, a Green candidate who won in Streatham St Leonard's, Lambeth, was suspended by the party pre-election over alleged antisemitic social media posts; her seat remains vacant. Hasret Bozdogan, a Labour councillor in Haringey's Woodside ward, stepped down for "personal reasons."
Ealing Council anticipates its by-election will cost around £35,000, while Camden and Lambeth project costs of approximately £30,000 per by-election. Hackney, Haringey, and Lewisham councils did not disclose their estimated costs.
A Labour Party spokesperson criticised the Green Party's "incompetence," stating, "Taxpayers are now being forced to pick up the bill." A Green Party spokesperson countered that the number of candidates stepping down represents a "very small proportion" of the 297 seats the party secured across London.
Upcoming By-Elections
By-elections are scheduled for 18 June in Lewisham and Hillingdon (two vacancies, due to candidate deaths). On 25 June, Hackney (two), Haringey (two), and Ealing will hold by-elections. Further by-elections in Lambeth (two) and Camden are yet to be announced.
