pic: Jason Kitcat, Ruth Buckley and Ian Davey
The new team to lead the Greens on Brighton & Hove City Council is announced today, following a ballot of all party members and councillors.
The Convenor and Deputy Convenor positions of the Green Group were all contested and Councillor Jason Kitcat has been re-elected as convenor of the group.
Councillor Ruth Buckley was elected as deputy for external communications; Councillor Ian Davey was re-elected as internal convenor.
As the Greens form a minority administration these councillors will be proposed at Annual Council as the leader and deputies of the council for 2014-15.
The results of the elections for the Convenor and Deputy Convenors of the Green Group of Councillors are as follows:
Elected:
Cllr Jason Kitcat – Convenor
Cllr Ian Davey – Deputy Convenor (Internal Relations)
Cllr Ruth Buckley – Deputy Convenor (External Relations)
Electoral College
All three positions (Convenor, Deputy Convenor Internal Relations and Deputy Convenor External Relations) were elected under an electoral college system in which the selections of the Green Group of Councillors hold equal weight (50:50) with the selections of the remaining local party membership.
Under this system, and by Single Transferable Vote (STV), the deputy convenors were each elected by a majority of councillors and of members. Councillor Kitcat was elected convenor by an overall majority.
The electoral college breakdown was:
Deputy Convenor Internal Relations
| Cllr Ian Davey | GG 57.1% | Party 47.7% | Overall 52.4% |
| Cllr Liz Wakefield | GG 38.1% | Party 44.7% | Overall 41.4% |
| RON (re-open nominations) | GG 4.8% | Party 3.8% | Overall 4.3% |
These are second round results, under STV rules. Cllr Leo Littman was eliminated after the first round of voting.
Deputy Convenor External Relations
| Cllr Ruth Buckley | GG 50% | Party 61.8% | Overall 55.9% |
| Cllr Lizzie Deane | GG 45% | Party 38.2% | Overall 41.6% |
| RON (re-open) | GG 5% | Party 0.0% | Overall 2.5% |
Convenor
| Cllr Jason Kitcat | GG 57.1% | Party 45.5% | Overall 51.3% |
| Cllr Phélim Mac Cafferty | GG 38.1% | Party 53.0% | Overall 45.5% |
| RON (re-open) | GG 4.8% | Party 1.5% | Overall 3.1% |
Note: Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty received a majority of member votes and Councillor Kitcat received a majority of the Green Group vote. Under the electoral college system, Councillor Kitcat won the overall vote and was accordingly re-elected as Convenor.
Commenting on the result …
Councillor Jason Kitcat said: “I’d like to thank all candidates who stood in our annual convenor elections. I’m delighted to have been re-elected with the highest ever support from Green Group members. I am committed to working with all Green colleagues through the challenges our city faces in the coming year.”
Councillor Ruth Buckley said: “I’m delighted to have been elected to take on the role of external comms.
“Having led on successful campaigns and been involved in community issues since being elected, I’m looking forward to promoting the Green message throughout the city. We have many important messages we need to communicate, both in Brighton and Hove and to a larger audience, especially in light of next year’s savage government cuts.”
Councillor Ian Davey said: “I’m delighted to receive the support of colleagues. With more government cuts heading our way the year ahead will be an extremely challenging one. I will work hard over the next year with Jason, Ruth and our fellow Green councillors to continue do our best for the city.”
Councillor Phélim MacCafferty said: “I’m pleased and grateful that I have received the support and confidence of the Green Party membership. A huge thank you to my many supporters. Working with the Green Group I look forward to taking our shared vision forward.”
For more information please contact the Brighton and Hove Green Party office on 01273 766 670.