Who's in the running?

This summer, Green Party of England and Wales members will elect six new members of the party’s executive (GPEx).  Nominations are now closed, and the full list of candidates has now been announced. Here’s the full list:

Equality and Diversity Coordinator

There are two candidates standing for Equality and Diversity Coordinator this time around.

First up is Ashley Routh, a Sheffield based party activist who stood to be Chair of GPEx in 2020.

Routh told Bright Green on announcing her candidacy that she wanted to use the role to “push for a higher standard of consultation on equalities policy”.

Routh’s competition comes from a job share ticket of Rashid Nix and Dzaier Neil.

Nix is the incumbent, having been elected alone to the role in 2019, the last time the position was up for election. He previously stood for the Greens in the Dulwich and West Northwood constituency in the 2015 and 2017 general elections. In April 2020, he caused controversy by sharing a video of conspiracy theorist David Icke in a tweet which has not been deleted.

Neil is the current chair of the Green Party Disability Group. She has also been a Paralympic athlete, having won a gold medal in Javelin, a silver medal in table tennis, and a bronze medal in shot put at the 1984 games.

Finance Coordinator

Two of the positions up for election this year will have uncontested elections, with candidates only going up against re-open nominations.

One of those is finance coordinator, where Jon Nott faces no competition. Nott is the incumbent in the post.

Internal Communications Coordinator

Another two horse race for internal communications, with Alexander Sallons going up against Zoe Hatch.

Sallons is a member of Brighton & Hove Green Party, and told Bright Green upon announcing his candidacy that he wanted to engage the party membership through providing them with “a variety of tools and information – in an engaging way”.

Meanwhile, Hatch is a Councillor on Burnham Parish Council. In the 2019 general election, Hatch stood for the Beaconsfield constituency, picking up 3.4 per cent of the vote.

Local Party Support Coordinator

Local Party Support is the most crowded field, with four candidates seeking election.

First up is the job share ticket of Daniel Laycock and Lysndsay McAteer. Laycock is the coordinator of the Eastern Green Party, while McAteer is currently chair of Warrington and Halton Green Party. On their candidacy, Laycock previously told Bright Green he wanted to use the position to strengthen support for local parties and in order to help them “to grow and ultimately win“.

Also standing is Duncan Kerr. Kerr is a town Councillor in Oswestry, having previously served as mayor of the town. He is now also a Councillor on Shropshire Council, having been elected to the Oswestry South Divison in the 2021 local elections when he unseated a Conservative.

Current Young Greens co-chair Rosie Rawle is also in the running. Rawle has served three terms as co-chair of the party’s youth wing, and has also served on Oxfordshire Green Party’s committee, as well as working in a staff capacity for the Norwich Green Party in the run up to the 2016 local elections.

The final candidate is Taymar Pitman. Pitman stood unsuccessfully in the 2021 Newcastle City Council elections in West Fenham Ward.

Policy Development Coordinator

Policy Development Coordinator is the second of the two uncontested elections members will be voting in this year. Lowthion is the incumbent having been elected for a one year term in 2020 in a by-election triggered by a resignation. Now, she’s up for re-election for a full two year term.

Lowthion is well known among Greens as the party’s education spokesperson, and for standing in successive general elections in the Isle of Wight. Upon announcing her candidacy, Lowthion told Bright Green that she wants to use the role to ensure that the Green Party “has clear identified direction and outcomes.”

Publications Coordinator

The final position up for election this year is Publications Coordinator, and its the third of the two horse races.

Julia Lagoutte is the first of the two candidates. Lagoutte is the incumbent, having been first elected in a 2020 by-election caused by a resignation. Alongside her position as Publications Coordinator, she is also a member of the Green Party Women committee, and is the host of the Big Green Politics Podcast.

Also standing is the job share team of Kathryn Bristow and Rachel Collinson. Bristow is currently co-chair of Green Party Women and also serves on the committees of LGBTIQA+ Greens and Greens of Colour. Meanwhile, Collinson is a former co-chair of the Green Party Regional Council.

Members will be balloted in August to elect members to these GPEx posts, following a campaigning period throughout July. Results of the elections are expected to be announced in September.

Image credit: Bristol Green Party – Creative Commons

This article was first published in Bright Green.

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