Bristol by-election: Green Party becomes largest on council

Patrick McAllister won the by-election by 26 votes

The Green Party has become the largest party on Bristol City Council after winning a by-election.

Patrick McAllister was elected the new councillor for Hotwells and Harbourside after a vote on Thursday, taking the seat away from the Liberal Democrats who have held it since its creation.

The Green Party now holds a total of 25 seats, Labour, 24, Conservatives, 14, and Liberal Democrats, five.

The vote was sparked after the previous councillor, Alex Hartley, resigned.

Mr McAllister, 24, who works in legal services, said his party was now preparing to take power in Bristol.

"The Green Party is now the biggest group in the council and I recognise the weight of that responsibility," he said.

"As a team we are putting together our programme so we are ready to run this city from next year.

"I'm really looking forward to getting on with the job and representing this amazing community with the commitment and enthusiasm that it deserves."

By-election results:

• Patrick McAllister, Green, 537 votes

• Stephen Williams, Liberal Democrat, 511 votes

• Eileen Means, Labour, 153 votes

• Eliana Barbosa, Conservative, 34 votes

• Martin Booth, independent, 14 votes

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the results will most likely not change the balance of power in the council, with Labour Mayor Marvin Rees unlikely to give any Green councillors new cabinet positions.

The Green Party has become the largest party on Bristol City Council

Mr Rees will still be in charge until May 2024, when the mayoral system will be scrapped and replaced with a committee.

Councillor Carla Denyer, co-leader of the Green Party in England and Wales, is the parliamentary candidate for Bristol West.

She said: "It's fantastic to see that the people of Hotwells and Harbourside, and more broadly the people of Bristol, want to see more Green politics in the city and are ready to trust us with power."