Wealden councillor elected co-deputy leader of Green Party

Wealden district councillor Rachel Millward has been elected as co-deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales.

In a social media post, Cllr Millward said: “I’m truly honoured to have been elected. Thank you to everyone who voted, supported and encouraged me throughout this campaign.

“I’m excited to help our brilliant party grow, and grow well, as we get ready to win across England and Wales. Thank you.”

Cllr Millward was first elected to Wealden District Council in 2021 and represents Hartfield as its ward councillor.

Since 2023, she has been part of the Alliance for Wealden — a coalition of Green, Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors who run the district council.

As part of this coalition, she has been the leader and deputy leader of the council, swapping roles with Liberal Democrat James Partridge each year. She is currently the council’s deputy leader and also holds a cabinet portfolio for community, culture and communications.

The way the Green Party runs its internal elections means there can be either one or two deputy leader posts available, depending on who is elected as the party’s leader.

With the party electing London Assembly member Zack Polanski as its sole leader, the party’s constitution requires it to have two deputy leaders of different genders. This will see Cllr Millward share her new role with Mothin Ali, a Leeds city councillor.

While the role normally carries a two-year term, the deputy leader post will only be elected for a single year due to the party’s last round of internal elections being delayed by the 2024 general election.