Labour forms coalition with Greens and Lib Dems in Cannock Chase to run council

Labour then asked for permission from the NEC to enter coalition negotiations and has now made an agreement with the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats to run the council together for the next year.

The three parties attracted over 63 per cent of the vote in Cannock Chase, but no party had enough councillors to govern alone.

Cannock Chase District Council is now made up of 18 Conservative councillors, 17 Labour councillors, five Green councillors, and one Liberal Democrat.

Cannock's Green councillors also claim that they would have entered a coalition with Labour or the Conservatives, but never received a response from Cannock's Conservative Party.

Tony Johnson, leader of Cannock's Labour group, told the Express & Star: "We have been in negotiations with the Greens since soon after the election.

"Local people need stability so we can achieve our priorities and maintain services for people in the area."

Councillor Johnson, who was re-elected in the Cannock East ward, admitted that there would be challenges ahead in the forthcoming year.

"In both the Labour and Green manifestos we've pledged to save the Cannock Chase Museum, so £100,000 needs to be found in the budget for that. The last administration didn't look enough at doing that," the councillor said.

"It's been more difficult since 2010, when 25 per cent of funding for local authorities was cut," he added.

Cannock's Green Party is thrilled to now be in the coalition, having made three gains in the recent local election. The party says they would work with any other party for the benefit of the district.

The party claims that Cannock's Conservatives, led by Olivia Lyons, did not answer their call, but were "pleased" that the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties did so.

As part of the coalition, Green councillors Andrea Muckley and Jo Elson will join the cabinet in the portfolios of environment and health respectively.

Andrea said: "We have not done enough as a district, or as a council, to address the climate emergency. I am looking forward to working with others to ensure that we move towards a more environmentally friendly future."

Jo added: "I was a nurse in the NHS for 25 years and I cannot wait to be able to bring my knowledge and experience to the cabinet.

The Green Party’s Darrell Mawle, who will become chair of the economic prosperity scrutiny committee said: "After the election we owe it to the voters to leave our rosettes at home and work with other parties in good faith to serve our communities."

Newly elected councillor Liz Bishop added: "The Greens will bring a renewed energy to the council chamber. We will fight to protect our green spaces and work hard to help all the residents of Cannock Chase as they face difficult times."

Mandi Boyer, who was also newly elected, enthused: "I’m so delighted that the Greens made gains again this year, both locally and nationally. I am also pleased that more women have been elected locally.

"We can all bring our different experiences to the table to make Cannock Chase the best it can be."

The Green Party's local priorities include trying to save the Museum of Cannock Chase, replacing the missing bridges in the area's nature reserves, and considering how the £20 million levelling up funding will be spent to ensure the redevelopment of Cannock's town centre.

The latest election saw the balance of power shift locally and across the country. Nationally, the Conservatives lost over a thousand seats as Labour, the Greens and Liberal Democrats all made gains.

More local elections will take place in 2024, which could result in one party being in overall control of the council again.