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08
Oct
North Yorkshire councillor quits Green Party
A prominent North Yorkshire councillor has quit the Green Party declaring that the party has changed direction and no longer shares the priorities that attracted him to it.
Cllr Kevin Foster, who represents Hipswell and Colburn and stood as the party’s candidate at the 2024 York and North Yorkshire mayoral election, has announced he will now sit as an independent councillor.
His departure follows controversy at the Green Party’s annual conference in Brighton, where members voted to classify Zionism as a form of racism.
The vote has divided the party, prompted accusations of antisemitism from Jewish organisations and drawn criticism from four of its five MPs.
‘I feel like the party has left me’
Although Cllr Foster did not specifically mention the conference in his public statement, it is understood to have played a part in his decision.
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, he said:
I don’t feel like I’ve left the party, I feel like the party has left me.
He added in a statement:
Today, I’ve got to announce that I’ve left the Green Party. I am now an independent councillor for Hipswell and Colburn.
The reason I’ve left is that the party has gone in a different direction to what I was hoping it would go. It’s not the party it was, and it doesn’t hold the same priorities it did when I joined nine years ago.
I’m still going to be here for Hipswell and Colburn. I’m still going to be your voice. Nothing has changed.
I’ve always put my residents before the party anyway, and I’ll continue to keep you informed.
It’s a bit of a sad day, but I must thank all the volunteers and people I’ve met over the years in the Green Party who have helped us make things better for Hipswell and Colburn.
Despite leaving the party, Cllr Foster will remain leader of the Green and Independent Group on North Yorkshire Council.
Cllr Arnold Warneken.
Cllr Arnold Warneken, chair of the North Yorkshire Green Party, said he was disappointed by the resignation but respected his colleague’s decision.
He said:
While I’m disappointed that Cllr Foster has chosen to leave the Green Party, he still has my respect, and I would like to thank him for his tireless work for the party, both on the council and within his local branch, where I know he will be missed.
Our focus remains on representing our communities, protecting the environment and delivering practical solutions to the challenges facing North Yorkshire residents.
Kevin will remain part of the Green and Independent Group as an independent councillor and will continue as group leader, with the full support of the group.
The long-serving Green Party member acknowledged that the controversy surrounding the party conference had become a “major distraction that we don’t need”.
He added:
As I said to my wife earlier, I’m just going to plough on, putting climate change and nature back at the top of the agenda, getting on with things and supporting the community I represent.
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