Independent councillor Stephen Ferguson has announced he is joining the Green Party after eight years serving as an Independent across all three levels of local government.
The former Mayor of St Neots said the decision reflects both the pressures facing residents and a changing political climate.
“This is about choosing hope over fear in a time of crisis,” Cllr Ferguson said. “Life is really tough for people in St Neots right now and people need politicians that offer a real future, not false promises and empty slogans.”
From Independent to Green
Known locally as a vocal advocate against party politics, Cllr Ferguson acknowledged the significance of his decision.
He said he had taken Independent politics “as far as I possibly could” but argued that the national and local context had shifted.
“In desperate times, as politics lurches to the right, the Green Party stands alone in fighting for social justice,” he said. “I’ll be in the trenches with the Green Party, fighting for everyday people and confronting the rise of the populist right.”
Cllr Ferguson now joins the Green Group on Huntingdonshire District Council, where he represents St Neots Priory Park and Little Paxton and serves as a cabinet member with responsibility for Resident Services and Corporate Performance.
Track record on housing and fairness
Welcoming the move, Green councillor Lara Davenport-Ray, member for St Neots East, praised his record.
“Stephen has always been a champion for the people of St Neots,” she said. “As a cabinet member on the district council he also has a track record of fighting for social justice – especially when it comes to housing and fairer taxation.”
“Homes are for people not landlords,” Cllr Ferguson added. He highlighted his leadership on work to reduce council tax for vulnerable residents and efforts to tackle the growing problem of empty homes across the district.
Staying on until elections
Addressing questions about remaining in office, Cllr Ferguson said he would continue as a Green councillor until May. With all-out district elections due on 7 May 2026, he said this would avoid the cost of a by-election and allow him to keep advocating for residents.
His previous roles include serving on St Neots Town Council, where he was instrumental in the town’s 2019 declaration of a Climate Emergency, acting as Chair of Cambridgeshire County Council from 2021 to 2023, and standing as an Independent parliamentary candidate in 2024.
