One year ago, Glaswegians elected a record ten Green councillors. Since then, my colleagues and I have worked hard to represent the communities that elected us and deliver a greener, fairer Glasgow.

That outstanding election result was built on a record of action, both in the Chambers and in local neighbourhoods - be that standing up for libraries, for parks and greenspaces, for better housing, transport and local services, and leading on the climate emergency.

The election showed that where people already had a Green councillor, they overwhelmingly wanted to keep them. Our vote share in those wards went up, on average, by more than 8 percentage points.

In Hillhead, Cllr Martha Wardrop topped the poll with 36% of the vote, thanks to her rightful reputation as one of the hardest-working politicians anywhere.

I’m confident that areas which now have their first Green councillor, like Newlands and Victoria Park, will also re-elect hard-working Greens when that time comes around.

Every single Green councillor has made a difference since being elected. 

Holly Bruce has led on work to make Glasgow the UK’s first Feminist City. Anthony Carroll won vital support for hospitality workers when the council backed the Unite Hospitality union’s Get Me Home Safely campaign.

Blair Anderson worked across party lines to cancel school meal debt, supporting the Feed the Weans campaign. Christy Mearns has championed a future without the harmful effects of the M8 motorway.

Martha Wardrop has steered through the recommendations of Glasgow’s unique Tenant-led Housing Commission, including actions on rent controls and stronger housing enforcement. 

Elaine Gallagher chairs the Council’s Just Transition Working Group, which is engaging employers and skills bodies in the actions needed for a net zero future.

Lana McConnell-Reid put a spotlight on Glasgow’s incredible street art community and won support for setting up more legal walls. Dan Hutchison secured a commitment to designing a four-day working week pilot in the Council. And Leodhas Massie committed Glasgow to its ultimately unsuccessful (boo!) Eurovision bid.

Green councillors make a difference - and we do that because we don’t just talk about constructive, grown-up politics, we are prepared to put in the hard work to make that a reality.

In a council where no group has a majority it should be obvious that building consensus is not just desirable, it is needed. But all too often, it is only Greens who are prepared to put the hard yards in. Labour, in particular, are disorganised and hopelessly divided, freezing-out capable councillors and shunning the very idea of cooperation.

That’s why the Council’s Strategic Plan, which sets our shared priorities for this five-year term, has the Glasgow Greens’ ideas writ large throughout. It is without any shadow of a doubt the Greenest such plan Glasgow has ever known. 

We are thankful for the trust which has been placed in us. We are determined to repay that by working hard for our communities and delivering our vision of a greener and fairer Glasgow.