Greens take Warwick seat in by-election upset

The Green Party has secured a by-election victory in Warwickshire, winning the All Saints & Woodloes seat on Warwick Town Council on the same night as the party’s historic success in Greater Manchester.

Clare Bryan triumphed with 684 votes, defeating Moira-Ann Grainger of the Conservative Party, finishing second with 372. Independent candidate Claire Wightman took 304 votes, while Labour’s Michael Dray came fourth with 207, and Lurence Byrne of the Liberal Democrats received 13 votes.

The by-election followed the resignation of former councillor John Sullivan, who represented the seat for the Labour Party from May 2023 to April 2024 before serving as an independent until December 2024. Sullivan stepped down due to health reasons.

I believe in a world where everyone, regardless of race or gender, is treated with kindness and compassion. I don’t believe any other party is committed to delivering on that

– Clare Bryan, new Warwick Town Councillor

Speaking after her victory, Bryan said her campaign focused on community cohesion. She said: “I’m standing for the Green Party because I believe in a world where everyone, regardless of race or gender, is treated with kindness and compassion. I don’t believe any other party is committed to delivering on that.”

She added she would do “whatever she could” to help make Warwick a “safe and supportive community”.

The election resulted in a turnout of 24.4%, with 1,716 ballot papers issued from an electorate of 7,009.

The result adds to mounting pressure on Keir Starmer’s Labour government ahead of the local elections in May. Labour’s fourth-place finish in Warwick follows recent setbacks in other former strongholds, marked by the Greens’ significant breakthrough in Manchester’s Gorton and Denton.