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Today at Green Party conference, the Green Party of England and Wales voted overwhelming in favour of paying its Deputy Leaders.

In her speech proposing the motion, Hannah Clare argued that this measure was crucial for accessibility, as previously only people in a position of privilege were able to take on the huge responsibility of the position. She argued it would allow the deputy leaders to have a much higher profile and complete their responsibilities more effective, as the Deputy Leaders have a very similar role to the Leader. Finally, the process for implementing this measure would follow the precedent of introducing payment for the Leader.

In the workshop report, it was stated that it would be a full-time salary and that GPEx would decide the level. The workshop voted unanimously for the motion.

Some of the arguments raised against the motion was the question of whether the membership surge is here to stay, and whether the party could afford to commit to the expenditure in the long term. Some people also raised the question of which positions the party should pay and which positions were voluntary.

Those in favour argued that the introduction of payment for deputy leaders was a question of political strategy, and that paying the Deputy Leaders will allow them to campaign full-time and ensure members will remain a part of the party. Finally, the principle of accessibility was raised again, and the need for elected officials rather than appointed staff.

Bright Green has previously argued in support of this measure in an editorial article.