Greens and Socialists form new town hall alliance

Haringey’s four Green and Independent Socialist councillors are forming a new grouping on the council reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Ruairidh Paton, Green Party councillor for St Ann's — Ruairidh Paton, who was elected as the Green Party’s first Haringey councillor in April

Haringey’s Green and Independent Socialist groups have come together to form an alliance.

The new grouping, called the Green Socialist Alliance, is made up of Independent Socialist councillors, Mary Mason and Lotte Collett and Green Party councillors Mark Blake and Ruairidh Paton.

Explaining the reason for the change, the alliance’s leader, Lotte Collett said: “Climate issues need to be front and centre of everything that we do, it’s massively important because the people that are the most affected by these issues are the working classes, it’s the same with the cost of living crisis and the housing crisis. So joining together is entirely rationale to get that expertise from Ruairidh.”

Cllr Collett said the four councillors were “on the same page” in terms of making sure socialist and green issues were at the “centre” of their activity and added being a group of four helped to “share the load”.

Cllr Collett clarified: “It’s an alliance rather than a group, two groups working together in alliance under the name of Green Socialist Alliance.”

Explaining how the alliance will operate, a spokesperson said: “At future meetings of Haringey Council there will be a change in the left bloc of councillors with the launch of the Green Socialist Alliance.

“The recent election of Green councillor, Ruairidh Paton, who trounced Labour in the St Ann’s ward by-election has opened up new possibilities.

“Cllr Collett of the Independent Socialists will be leader of the new group, Cllr Blake of the Greens will be deputy leader.”

Cllr Blake crossed over to the Greens last month, following Cllr Paton’s win in St Ann’s ward in April which had made him the borough’s first Green Party councillor.

The current make up of Haringey Council is 45 Labour councillors, 7 Liberal Democrats, 4 Green Socialist Alliance and 1 Independent.

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