Scottish Green Party co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater speaking at a press conference alongside Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

In May’s local elections, the Scottish Greens became the third largest party on Glasgow City Council. The Greens gained three seats and overtook the Tories.

Now, the Green group on the Council has negotiated a working agreement with the SNP group. This will see the formation of an SNP minority administration, with the Greens taking on a number of key roles within the Council.

The Green group will take on the chair of a new Net Zero and Climate Progress Monitoring Committee and a Just Transition Working Group. Greens will also chair the Neighbourhoods, Housing and Public Realm Committee, and will have vice-chairs on the Education, Skills & Early Years and Environment, Sustainability & Carbon Reduction Committees.

Pledging to build a “fairer, greener and more inclusive Glasgow” through the working agreement, the Greens claim their increased role within the City Council will lead to greater progress in tackling the climate emergency and the cost of living crisis.

Green group co-convenor, Martha Wardrop, said,

The recent election result clearly showed us that the people of Glasgow agreed with our vision for a more effective, more democratic and forward-looking council. With our largest ever group of Green councillors, we will hold a minority SNP administration to account while working collaboratively across party lines to deliver a fairer, greener and more inclusive Glasgow and to bring about the change that people voted for.

While Greens will take on major roles within the Council, they will remain as an opposition party with the SNP forming a minority administration.

Fellow Green group co-convenor, Jon Molyneux, said,

While other parties may want to rerun the arguments of years gone by, or debate national issues rather than local priorities, Greens will work with the people of Glasgow to ensure the Council listens to those who we represent and delivers for our communities. We will work collaboratively over the coming months to deliver a new five-year plan for the council which delivers the progressive change people want to see.

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Image credit: YouTube screengrab