THE Green Party is hoping to win its first ever seat on Worcester City Council.

While almost all of the focus has been on the general election, residents in Worcester will also get to cast their votes tomorrow in local elections being held in 12 wards across the city.

That count will be taking place Friday afternoon after the general election results have been announced in the early hours of the morning.

The Green Party and its candidate Louis Stephen have been concentrating efforts on the Cathedral ward where Councillor Mohammed Riaz (Conservative) is standing down after six years service.

Abdul Riaz is the party’s replacement and the pair will be up against Sharafat Ali (Labour) and Edith Barnes (Liberal Democrat).

Mr Stephen said that the Green Party has been gradually increasing its share of the vote in the Cathedral ward area in recent times and that last year’s county council election results were encouraging in the Riverside and Rainbow Hill – the wards which were most similar to the Cathedral ward’s boundary.

As a result Mr Stephen, who is also the Green Party’s parliamentary candidate for Worcester, said he is “hopeful” of making history after a busy month knocking on doors and canvassing residents.

He said: “We would be a fresh voice on the council with a different way of thinking. It has been the three main parties for so many years and we would bring a fresh take on the general running of the council.”

Mr Stephen said if his party were to win its historic first seat on the council he thought it could have ramifications on future elections in the city.

“It would show people we can get elected and would dispel the myth that we never get in,” he said.