Sian Berry stands down as a councillor in Camden

The former co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales – Sian Berry – has stood down as a councillor in Camden. Berry was first elected to Camden Borough Council in 2014, and has represented the Highgate ward ever since.

However, she has long been balancing her responsibilities on the council alongside a litany of other roles. Since 2016, she has been a member of the London Assembly. She is now also the Green Party’s parliamentary candidate in Brighton Pavilion, where she hopes to replace Caroline Lucas as the MP.

Writing in Camden New Journal, Berry has said that her parliamentary candidacy is what is behind her decision to stand down form the council. She wrote: “Let me start by being clear: after nearly 10 years I would not be leaving my role as a Camden councillor unless it was necessary to put the time needed into winning Brighton Pavilion and doing justice to the legacy of Caroline Lucas MP.”

In that article, Berry reflected on her time in the role. She said that helping secure a 100 per cent reduction in council tax for the Borough’s poorest residents was something she was “very proud” of.

A by-election will now be held to fill the vacancy made by Berry. Lorna Jane Russell has been selected as the Green Party candidate in the ward. Russell was previously a Labour councillor in a different ward in Camden, before defecting to the Greens in 2021. She stood as a Green candidate in Berry’s ward in 2022, coming 400 votes short of getting elected.