THE GREENS grabbed the headlines again in Coventry for a second successive election, taking a second Holbrook seat from Labour.
Apart from that, it was pretty much ‘as was’ with Labour and the Conservatives holding onto all the seats they had at the start of the day.
On the night, Labour held 13 seats and lost one, the Conservatives held all four of theirs and the Greens had the Holbrook gain
It means now that Coventry City Council is made up of 38 Labour, 14 Conservatives and two Greens.
Esther Reeves’ gain for the Greens by 79 votes came almost a year to the day after Stephen Grey became the party’s first candidate. It made big headlines as The Green Party was founded in Coventry – first known as the ‘People’s Party’ in November 1972. It later became the Ecology Party in 1975 and, in 1985, changed to the Green Party.
Coun Reeves said: “I am proud to become Holbrook’s and Coventry’s second Green councillor – it has only taken half-a-century.
“It means we can now form a group on the council and have a bigger influence.
“It is important for democracy that people know they have more than two options – than the main parties.”
Closest result
The closest result was the night saw Labour hold onto Sherbourne by just 21 votes with Conservative Stephen Smith running Gavin Lloyd very close.
Coun Lloyd paid tribute in his speech to the late councillor Seamus Walsh.
“He taught us what honest humanity was like.”
Likewise, after holding onto Willenhall for Labour, Coun Ram Lakha remembered the late Coun John Mutton in his speech.
Coun Lakha said: “This is my 11th time standing here to say thank you.
“The main difference is on the last ten occasions John Mutton was here with me – I do miss him.”
Arguably the most impressive display came in Earlsdon where Coun Becky Gittins, who won the seat by just 104 votes back in 2019, increased her majority over the Conservatives to 1,160.
In a rousing speech, Coun Gittins paid tribute to the community spirit showed by everyone in the ward.
“We always fight Earlsdon as a marginal seat – we know how hard it was to win and to keep after my shock result in 2019 by just 104 votes.
“I hope we have shown residents the difference Labour can make.
“We are so lucky to have so many people working so hard for the community in Earlsdon – residents, community groups, the speedwatch and other volunteers, Friends of Parks groups, schools, local businesses – we hope to do you proud in this next term.”
Final results and reaction
Radford – LAB HOLD
Maya Ali (Labour Party) – 1,686 – ELECTED
Dave Anderson (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 118
Marcus Fogden (Coventry Citizens Party) – 199
Julie Spriddle (Green Party) – 266
Muhammad Tariq (Conservative Party) – 535
Coun Ali described it as a ‘fantastic’ evening and thanked her campaign manager and her team for all their support.
Upper Stoke – LAB HOLD
Gary Cooper (Coventry Citizens Party) – 247
Amirjit Kaur (Labour Party) – 1,671 – ELECTED
Terri Rosser (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) –
Gurdeep Sohal (Conservative Party) – 492
Laura Vesty (Green Party) – 356
Coun Kaur praised her team for being there for her ‘when times were tough’ and council leader Coun George Duggins for his support.
She added: “I am honoured and privileged to take up this role and want to thank everyone who put their trust in me.
“This is a victory for the people of Upper Stoke as well as the Labour Party.”
Wyken – LAB HOLD
Russell Berry (Green Party) – 327
Samiul Islam (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 32
William John Single (Conservative Party) – 924
Iddrisu Sufyan (Reform UK) – 93
Robert Richard Thay (Labour Party) – 1,549 – ELECTED
Lorna Williams (Coventry Citizens Party) – 176
Coun Thay thanked everyone who voted for him and had special praise for his son Dylan who had been out leafleting for him for the first time.
Henley – LAB HOLD
Farad Misaghi (Conservative Party) – 659
Aidan O’toole (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 51
Patricia Seaman (Labour Party) – 2,017 – ELECTED
Cathy Wattebot (Green Party) – 279
Thomas Watts (Coventry Citizens Party) – 215
Foleshill – LAB HOLD
Abdul Khan (Labour Party) 2,409 – ELECTED
Mila Matharu (Trade Unionist and Socialists Coalition) – 213
Ken Taylor (Conservative Party) – 446
Lower Stoke – LAB HOLD
Andrew Soares (Libs Dems) – 201
Thomas Jewell (Green Party) – 335
John McNicholas (Labour and Co-operative Party) – 2,142 – ELECTED
John O’Sullivan (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 93
Pratibha Reddy (Conservative Party) – 890
Dani Stringfellow (Coventry Citizens Party) -190
Longford – LAB HOLD
Linda Bigham (Labour Party) – 1,991 – ELECTED
Alan Checklin (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) -56
Danny Foulstone (Green Party) – 228
William Sindhu (Conservative Party) – 521
Sian Williamson (Coventry Citizens Party) – 150
Coun Bigham said: “It’s a humbling thing when people put their trust in you.
“I will continue to think of the people of Longford and put them at the centre of everything I do.”
She praised the One Coventry Plan which she said was working well for the people of the city despite the restraints placed on the council by the Conservative Government.
St Michael’s – LAB HOLD
Chrissie Brown (Green Party) – 176
Benoit Davies (Liberal Democrats) – 135
Ioannis Kaliandis (Conservative Party) – 313
Dave Nellist (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 221
Jim O’Boyle (Labour Party) – 1,869 – ELECTED
Karen Wilson (Coventry Citizens Party) – 109
Coun O’Boyle said: “This has been my 25th year since being elected and I don’t feel that old.”
He thanked the returning officer, the polling staff and his team who did a wonderful job.
And he had a message for all candidates: “Winning your first election doesn’t always come at the first time you stand.
“Continue to fight for what you believe in – we should all fight for every vote – not just in Coventry but in the rest of the country as well. There is always room for improvement.”
Whoberley – LAB HOLD
Pervez Akhtar (Labour Party) – 1,871 – ELECTED
Del Chahal (Conservative Party) – 782
Anna Grainger (Liberal Democrats) – 219
Nate Lewis (Coventry Citizens Party) – 113
Zoe Parker (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 73
Anne Patterson (Green Party) – 378
Coun Akthar thanked the election staff and his team and singled out Coun Bally Singh for special praise, labelling him ‘the best councillor on Coventry City Council’.
“I am honoured and privileged to have won and will always give my best when I serve you.”
He hit out at the government and the ‘Tory fat cats’ who had made scapegoats out of hard-working teachers and nurses while they feathered their pockets’.
Wainbody – CON HOLD
Becky Finlayson (Green Party) – 271
Adam Hancock (Coventry Citizens Party) – 56
Mohammed Miah (Labour Party) – 1,375
James Morshead (Liberal Democrats) – 213
Tim Sawdon (Conservative Party) – 1,874 – ELECTED
Coun Sawdon thanked everyone on ‘Team Tim’ for their help over the past few weeks and his wife for ‘putting up with a grumpy candidate’.
“I promise to behave better from now on.
“I pledge to serve everyone whether they voted for me or not.
“I will continue to hold to account the worst Labour authority I have known in my 39 years in Coventry.”
Woodlands – CON HOLD
Sarah Davis (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 83
Peter Male (Conservative Party) – 2,093 – ELECTED
Mark Perryman (Liberal Democrats) – 269
Neil Rider (Labour and Co-operative Party) – 1,325
Lesley Sim (Green Party) – 228
Coun Male said: “I would like to thank everyone in Woodlands who voted for me and put their trust in me.
“I look forward to working hard in the ward for the next three years and seeing Jim in the chamber for the next three years.”
Westwood – LAB HOLD
Randhir Auluck (Labour Party) – 1,397 – ELECTED
Jim Donnelly (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 63
Marcus Lapsa (Conservative Party) – 1,689
Jessica Marshall (Green Party) – 243
Jamie Simpson (Liberal Democrats) – 196
Coun Auluck said: “Thank you to all those who voted for me and those who didn’t.
“This shows hard work does pay off.
“I’m a local resident, some of these candidates were not.
“Labour tried to throw everything at us but it did not work.
“We work hard all year round and not just at election time – I am always available and contactable.”
Earlsdon – LAB HOLD
Cameron Baxter (Coventry Citizens Party) – 148
John Campbell (Green Party) – 350
Becky Gittins (Labour and Co-operative Party) – 2,627 – ELECTED
Adam Harmsworth (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 66
Zaid Rehman (Conservative Party) – 1,467
Stephen Richmond (Lib Dems) – 367
Coun Gittins said: “We always fight Earlsdon as a marginal seat – we know how hard it was to win and to keep after my shock result in 2019 by just 104 votes.
“I hope we have shown residents the difference Labour can make.
“We are so lucky to have so many people working so hard for the community in Earlsdon – residents, community groups, the speedwatch and other volunteers, Friends of Parks groups, schools, local businesses – we hope to do you proud in this next term.”
Sherbourne – LAB HOLD
Teri Fodgen (Coventry Citizens Party) – 100
Gavin Lloyd (Labour Party) – 1,444 – ELECTED
Jane Nellist (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 115
David Priestley (Green Party) – 253
Stephen Smith (Conservative Party) – 1,423
Caroline Spence (Liberal Democrats) – `50
Coun Lloyd thanked all those who made the election run so smoothly, along with the council leader Coun George Duggins and deputy Abdul Khan.
“I want to thank all my colleagues from other areas who came to help us campaign.”
He also paid tribute to the late Seamus Walsh.
“He taught us what honesty and integrity was.”
Binley and Willenhall – LAB HOLD
Paul Cowley (Coventry Citizens Party) – 970
Marianne Angela-Fitzgerald (Alliance for Democracy and Freedom) – 110
Ram Lakha (Labour Party) – 1,380 – ELECTED
Michael Morgan (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 47
Akpevwe Odje (Conservatives) – 540
Coun Lakha said: “This is my 11th time standing here to say thank you.
“The main difference is on the last ten occasions John Mutton was here with me – I do miss him.
“I want to say thank you to Mal Mutton for all her support and for being there for me and for the voters who have trusted in me for the past 33 years.”
Holbrook – GREEN GAIN
Mike Ballinger (Conservative) – 396
Jim Hensman (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 60
Lynette Kelly (Labour and Co-operative) – 1,487
Esther Reeves (Green Party) 1,566 – ELECTED
Coun Reeves said: “I am proud to become Holbrook’s and Coventry’s second Green councillor – it has only taken half-a-century.
“It means we can now form a group on the council and have a bigger influence.
“It is important for democracy that people know they have more than two options – than the main parties.”
Bablake – CON HOLD
Beatrice Christopher (Labour and Co-operative) – 1,393
Russell Field (Lib Dems) – 186
Tarlochan Jandu (Conservative) – 1,770 – ELECTED
Tony Middleton (Coventry Citizens Party) – 180
James Webb (Green Party) – 283
Ted Woodley (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 20
Coun Jandu said: “I am extremely humbled and want to thank all residents.
“I will continue to work hard for the betterment of Bablake and continue fighting development in the green belt and backing our brownfield first policy.”
Cheylesmore – LAB HOLD
Richard Brown (Labour Party) – 1,571 – ELECTED
Judy Griffiths (Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition) – 53
Amarjit Khangura (Conservatives) – 1,487
Anna Richmond (Lib Dems) – 174
Ian Stringfellow (Coventry Citizens Party) -124
Bruce Raymond (Green Party) – 263
Coun Brown said: “I have been overwhelmed by the support from everyone – especially my colleagues who have come in from other areas to help me with the campaign.
“I have been in Cheylesmore for nine years now and have always worked hard with integrity and I will continue to do that for everyone in the ward.
