Green Party leader Zack Polanski tonight predicted “a record-breaking result” for the party across England and Wales as polls closed.
Zack Polanski said: “I’ve travelled across England and Wales and I’m hearing the same everywhere I go – confidence that we will win more councillors than ever before.
“The news from the doorstep is that we will be taking seats from not just Labour but the Tories and Lib Dems too, from all across the country.
“Voters are responding to the fact that Greens are the only party taking the cost-of-living crisis seriously, with real plans to cut bills, reduce rents and provide genuinely affordable homes, as well as tackling the climate and nature crisis.
“Many councils are counting throughout Friday, so we will have to be patient to see the Green wins coming in.
“We are very confident that we will gain many seats in London, but we look forward to seeing results coming in from all across the country – from Newcastle and Bradford through to Sussex and of course, the Senedd election where we expect to make a historic Green breakthrough to Wales’ national parliament.”
Greens call for ‘boost for buses’ as Zack Polanski announces latest affordability pledge
Greens call for ‘boost for buses’ as Zack Polanski announces latest affordability pledge
On a campaign trail visit to Newcastle last week, Zack Polanski told the media that the experiment of bus privatisation has been a disaster, and that a vote for the Green Party on 7th May is a vote to boost our buses.
The Green Party leader said Green councillors will fight to bring buses back into public control, and advocate for free fares for everyone under 22 years to make life more affordable for young people.
It is the latest in a series of pledges focused on ending Rip Off Britain.
Privatisation: “an unmitigated disaster”
Reliable and accessible public transport is one of the best ways to tackle both the cost-of-living crisis and the climate crisis.
Buses are the most used form of public transport in England.
But bus usage has seen a huge and sustained drop off recently – falling from 4.6 billion journeys in 2009 to 3.6 billion in 2024.
Zack said: “Years of deregulation have led to soaring fares, unreliable services and cut routes. Bus privatisation has been an unmitigated disaster.”
Zack Polanski speaking to the media about the Green Party’s policies to boost buses (Photo: Maria Maza)
Spiralling transport costs are one of the biggest causes of the affordability crisis – and it’s not just cities like Newcastle that are affected. As Zack said “lack of services and expensive fares are problems for rural areas in particular.”
In fact, rural communities in England lost almost a fifth of their bus routes between 2019 and 2024 – an even faster rate than in our towns and cities.
Once bus services are cut, many people in rural areas are left isolated or reliant on expensive private transport simply to get around.
Putting the ‘public’ back in public transport
So why has privatisation been such a disaster?
Well, whether it’s our buses, or our water, or our trains – a private company owning a public utility has one main concern. Providing the best service for the public? No. Private profit for its shareholders.
Local councils in contrast know their communities, know their transport needs, and are in a much better position to plan and provide a proper service as a result.
Zack Polanski addressing a packed room of Green Party supporters in Newcastle (Photo: Maria Maza)
As Zack said: “We need to bring buses back into public control so that local councils, who know what their communities need best, can put a ceiling on how much can be charged and make sure their communities are well served.”
“Electing Green councillors will help end this and herald in a new age of the bus, to help rebuild our struggling high streets and boost our communities.”
Get out the vote – sign up for polling day
After speaking to media, Zack was met by a packed room of Green Party supporters at a rally for the elections on 7th May.
And a big turnout of Green support will be crucial again this Thursday.
We can win big all over the country on Thursday – but we’ll need your help.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has called for private jets to be grounded in order to manage demand amongst the expected jet fuel crisis, after government figures suggested Brits might have to change their summer holiday plans.
In response, Zack Polanski accused the government of failing to act in the interests of ordinary people, saying that ministers should ‘take action’ to prevent British holidaymakers from being hit by jet fuel shortages.
Polanski’s call comes after a group of Members of the European Parliament urged the European Commission to impose a temporary EU-wide ban on non-essential private jet travel.
Polanski said:
“Many British families look forward year-round to their summer holiday abroad – and now face their flights being cancelled as the impact of Trump’s illegal war in Iran ripples across the globe.
“Yet instead of acting to prevent ordinary Brits being hit by the crisis, the government seems to be telling people that they’ll simply have to put up or shut up as their plans are ruined.
“This is a choice. While ordinary people pay the price, the super rich are simply getting in their private jets at will – wasting huge amounts of jet fuel on unnecessary trips.
“The government should act now: put in place a temporary ban on non-essential private jet travel to save the summer holiday for the families who have worked hard to save for it.”
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has called for private jets to be grounded in order to manage demand amongst the expected jet fuel crisis, after government figures suggested Brits might have to change their summer holiday plans.
In response, Zack Polanski accused the government of failing to act in the interests of ordinary people, saying that ministers should ‘take action’ to prevent British holidaymakers from being hit by jet fuel shortages.
Polanski’s call comes after a group of Members of the European Parliament urged the European Commission to impose a temporary EU-wide ban on non-essential private jet travel.
Polanski said:
“Many British families look forward year-round to their summer holiday abroad – and now face their flights being cancelled as the impact of Trump’s illegal war in Iran ripples across the globe.
“Yet instead of acting to prevent ordinary Brits being hit by the crisis, the government seems to be telling people that they’ll simply have to put up or shut up as their plans are ruined.
“This is a choice. While ordinary people pay the price, the super rich are simply getting in their private jets at will – wasting huge amounts of jet fuel on unnecessary trips.
“The government should act now: put in place a temporary ban on non-essential private jet travel to save the summer holiday for the families who have worked hard to save for it.”
Green leader Zack Polanski to launch the new charter at May Day Rally in Manchester today.
The Green Party has today launched a Workers Charter to ‘rebalance’ the relationship between workers and employers, and to put people before profit.
The Greens would introduce a new Employment Rights Act, including key rights Labour watered down after pressure from lobbyists. These include:
Day-one rights on unfair dismissal
Sectoral bargaining
Full bans on fire-and-rehire and zero-hours contracts
A pay guarantee, with a £15 minimum wage for all ages
All anti-union and anti-strike laws introduced since 1979 would be scrapped, to ensure strong legal rights to strike, picket, protest and partake in solidarity action.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski, launching the charter, said:
“The reforms introduced by Margaret Thatcher nearly half a century ago began the long march downwards in the balance of power and wealth in our country – from those who produce and do the work to those who profit from it. Successive governments have continued this, and the current Labour government’s measures on workers’ rights, while an improvement, are weak and have been watered down after pressure from corporate lobbyists. The Greens are the new workers’ party, and we will address the massive imbalance in our workplaces and give control back to workers.”
