Photos by Penny Dampier and words by Marco Marcelline

Here come the Greens: Lea Bridge councillors Rosalind Rowlands, Liz Biggs, Solène Fabios, and Markhouse councillor Chanté Johnson.

Councillor Biggs said: “We’ve shown what can be achieved when you have the community behind you. We will continue to work hard for Waltham Forest. The real work begins now!”

Conservative councillors Mitchell Goldie, Emma Best, and Roy Berg were all smiles after retaining their Chingford seats.

The party retained all their seats and picked up an extra four, with three seats taken from ex-Tory Reform UK defectors and a further seat taken from Labour’s Elizabeth Baptiste in Valley ward.

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy attended the count in Labour red, and told the Echo she was thankful to every single councillor who had served in the past four years and more. She said: “It is long hours, it is a lot of boring meetings, and anybody who’s prepared to step up and do that, whether they get re-elected or not, we should always be grateful for the fact that they put a shift in.”

On the topic of standards in office, she said: “I will also seek the highest standards in government and in office, locally and nationally. So you will have seen me challenge the Prime Minister about the issues around Peter Mandelson, and you will see me be very clear that any councillor that falls below that standard, for example racist behaviour, allegations of sexual harassment, I will call it out.”

Asked about whether Keir Starmer should resign, Creasy held back slightly, stating: “He is going to have to reflect on all of this. I’ve written myself about what I think are the challenges within the Labour movement. I am somebody who has been clear about where I disagree with the national policy-making process. Look, I’ve argued with every Labour leader in my lifetime.

“I’ve always told them they’re wrong about something. So I think the Prime Minister has some very serious thinking to do.”

Rachel Barrat (above) unseated Labour cabinet member Naheed Asghar in Cann Hall and claimed the Greens’ first ever council seat in Waltham Forest.

With 872 votes on a turnout of 31.63% – one of the lower turnouts in the borough reported – Rachel said she was “surprised” but “very excited” to get started as a councillor. 

Reform UK failed to make a breakthrough in Waltham Forest, amid a resilient Conservative Party. The hard-right party lost the three councillors they had in Hatch Lane and Highams Park North prior to the election.

Chingford Green candidate Matt Davis blamed the losses on the “lack of time” the party had to organise a campaign. “We had just six months, and the Tories had been campaigning for a year plus. It was always going to be tough to win.”

Faiza Shaheen turned up to show her support for the Chingford and Woodford Green Independents, who in the end failed to pick up seats in Larkswood and Valley wards.

Shaheen, who was controversially deselected from standing for Labour in Chingford and Woodford Green in 2024, said she was not surprised to see Labour faring so poorly. She said: “You can’t just tinker things and expect people to support you. They could and should have gone much further but they’re so beholden by corporate interests. I can’t see myself returning to the party ever again.”

Catch the full results here and more coverage here

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