A councillor on Peterborough City Council has resigned from Labour and joined the Green Party. Cllr Heather Skibsted is now a Green councillor for Orton Longueville ward having been elected as ward councillor in 2019. She will seek reelection as a Green councillor in 2023.
In a statement, Cllr Skibsted said:
“I will continue to serve the Orton Longueville ward in order to improve the lives of people of the area. I want to continue to ensure that the voices of Orton Longueville’s residents are heard loud and clear by the city’s administration.
“I have been involved in many environmental and neighbourhood projects, demonstrating my absolute commitment to my local community. I will seek to continue this work beyond 2023.
“The Green Party’s policies and values can help create fairer greener communities. I feel I have found my home, because Green policies align much closer to my views and I feel part of a team working in the city’s interest with a spirit of collaboration. I am therefore delighted that the Green Party has welcomed me to join their strong team.
“We are facing severe social and economic issues – inflation and a cost of living crisis – which are bearing down on low income families. We also continue to face a worsening climate crisis. Greens know that we can tackle the cost of living and the climate crisis in combination through, for example, insulating homes which will slash energy bills.”
Green Group Leader, Councillor Nicola Day said:
“I am delighted that Cllr Skibsted has chosen to join the Green Party. She feels more aligned to Green Party policies and has been doing some great work in her ward on behalf of Orton Longueville residents which has included environmental and biodiversity work. In these times of extreme climatic crisis it has never been more important to have strong Green Party Councillors in local government. I wish her a warm welcome and look forward to working with her”.