South Oxfordshire Greens buck the trend (Contributed)

IN the face of a Conservative landslide in the Oxfordshire County Council elections, Labour and Liberal Democrats saw a marked decline in their share of the vote across the electoral divisions in South Oxfordshire, but the Greens bucked the trend. Across South Oxfordshire their share of the vote increased to 11.7%, up from 6.3% at the previous County Election.

Spearheading this Green growth is Mark Stevenson. In 2007 he was runner-up for a District Council seat in the Berinsfield ward, and then, in 2008 he came third in the Henley by-election and last week came second in the County Council election for the Dorchester and Berinsfield division, with over 20% of the vote.

Mr Stevenson, who is also the Green Party election agent in South Oxfordshire, said “This was a very encouraging set of results, in every single South Oxfordshire division that we contested our share of the vote increased. In the past people used to say to me that they wouldn’t vote Green because it was a wasted vote – now they ask me about our policies and ideas.”

The Greens also did well in Goring, with 16.0% of the vote, and Benson with 14.6%.

“James Norman and Tim Fenn were both excellent candidates”, said Mr Stevenson, “They tipify the principled realism that now underlies Green politics, both run successful businesses with a strong strong comitment to environmental principles. They are precisely the sort of people we need in local politics.”

There is no doubt that politics in South Oxfordshire is changing. The Greens have clearly displaced Labour as the third most popular party and in some areas they are challenging the Liberal Democrats for second place.

09/06/09