The Greens have declared they are a “fresh, positive alternative” after making a number of gains across the country in the local elections.
The party also made history in Coventry, taking its first seat on the Labour-run council, and doubled their number of seats in Oxford to six.
Green co-leader Adrian Ramsay said the success showed there was “disillusionment” with Conservative and Labour policies.
“We are seeing breakthroughs,” he told Sky News.
“More Green councillors in places where we have had Green councillors for quite some time, and also Green breakthroughs in areas where people haven’t always associated Greens with doing well, like South Tyneside.
“Those former industrial areas where people are coming to the Greens, so across the board we are seeing a disillusionment with both Labour and the Conservatives and people seeing the Greens as a really fresh, positive alternative.”
He added that the believed people are realising that tackling climate change would help ease the cost of living crisis.
“There is frustration, and even anger at the establishment parties,” he said.
“But they want a positive alternative and on the ground in the places where we have advanced, and where we have won more councillors and made breakthroughs, what people have seen is Greens standing up for local communities on issues that really matter to people locally.
“Whether that is air quality, whether that is affordable housing, whether that is public transport, as well as what we are saying nationally on the urgent action needed to address the cost of living crisis and bring people’s bills down.”
