Islington’s Green councillors Syreen Hassan, Elmedina Baptista-Mendes, Benali Hamdache, Jon Nott, Jara Falkenburg and Jackson Caines

IT has been a “transformative” six months for Town Hall politics, said the leader of the Islington Greens at the party’s conference in Brighton last weekend.

The Green Party won 19 seats in May’s election, a major surge from the three seats it went in with.

Now making up a substantive opposition, leader of Islington Greens Cllr Benali Hamdache told how his party is challenging the “total control” that Islington Labour has had since 2010.

“What has been transformative is the amount of change that 19 opposition councillors can bring,” he said.

“For too long, Islington Labour had a total control on politics. They could dismiss any opposition, because there wasn’t really any.”

Since forming the opposition, Cllr Hamdache said he was “proud” of the work the group had been able to do in challenging the council’s domination.

“Right now the Labour administration is being held accountable. They’re being challenged to do as much as they can for residents,” he added.

Caroline Russell

“And we’re 150 days in, but I’m already proud of what we’ve been able to do. Whether thats challenging the council on the closure of Paradise Park Nursery or getting cross-party support saying that Palantir has no place in our NHS.”

Cllr Hamdache said that the Green Party could even be credited for “changing the dialogue” on rent controls, after Islington Labour passed a motion calling for the policy.

“I’ve seen for many years that the Labour Party has said that rent controls are simply impossible, that they can’t work and they don’t work.

“Islington Labour’s call for rent controls is a step, but we’d like to see something more concrete like a rent freeze.”

Caroline Russell, the first Green councillor to be elected in Islington and at one time the only member of opposition in the chamber, said: “What we did in Islington, we are only just beginning.

“I’m so proud of all 19 councillors who are working so hard for their residents.

“They’re working hard to look into every aspect of the council’s work to make sure there is proper scrutiny.

“When you’ve had a super majority council for as long as Islington has, that is really needed.”

Ms Russell stood down as a councillor this year after serving in Highbury for 12 years.