hannah spencer was front and centre in Manchester as the Green Party tried to turn one local victory into a wider regional argument. In Levenshulme, Zack Polanski linked the Gorton and Denton by-election win to a broader challenge in the North West, insisting the party is “confident but not complacent” ahead of polling on 7 May. The message was less about celebration than scale: can one breakthrough become proof that the Greens can compete beyond their traditional pockets of support?
Why the Levenshulme visit matters now
The timing is significant because the party has no control of any councils in the North West at present, even after its recent success in Gorton and Denton. That makes every campaign stop part of a larger effort to show momentum before the local elections. In Greater Manchester, the Greens are represented on only four of the ten councils, with five councillors in Trafford, four on Manchester City Council and three on Stockport Council. The immediate task is not just to defend those footholds, but to argue that more areas are now reachable.
Polanski used the Manchester visit to frame the by-election win as evidence that there are no longer any “no go” areas for the party. That is a political claim, but it also reflects a strategic shift. The party wants to present itself as capable of building a “whole suite of councillors” across Greater Manchester, including places where Green representation has not been expected in the past. For hannah spencer, the symbolism is clear: a recent win is being turned into a launchpad for more local contests.
High street politics and local frustration
In Levenshulme, the Green pitch focused on the shape of the high street. Polanski and Spencer spoke to local businesses on Stockport Road while promoting a three-point plan: lower lease costs for small businesses, bring empty shops back into use, and return decision-making to local communities. The party also said it wants to encourage arts and cultural organisations to occupy empty units and reduce the dominance of multinational corporations on the high street.
That message is designed to speak to a very specific kind of local frustration: boarded-up shops, declining footfall and a sense that communities are being left out of decisions that affect their day-to-day lives. Spencer said areas like Levenshulme have been “hollowed out, ” describing a mix of boarded-up shop fronts, bookies and vape shops. The point of the policy launch was not simply to criticise that change, but to cast the Greens as the party offering a practical alternative.
For hannah spencer, the appeal of that argument is likely to come from proximity. She spoke about watching musicians play in smaller local venues and said she worries they are becoming fewer. That matters because the Green message in Levenshulme was not abstract: it was tied to a visible street-level decline and a promise to give residents and local businesses more say over what happens next.
Green momentum, or a test of reach?
Polanski also pointed to party growth, saying membership has risen from 50, 000 when he became leader to more than 225, 000 now. That is a striking figure, but the more relevant question is whether it translates into councillors, not just supporters. He said the real test in the final stretch to 7 May is how many campaigners are knocking on doors and speaking to people in their communities. In other words, momentum is being measured in organising capacity as much as in popularity.
The comparison with Labour and Reform is also part of the calculation. Polanski said voters are tired of Labour’s “empty promises and broken pledges” and that Reform’s divisive politics does not have a home in Manchester. That is a sharper line than a routine local-election pitch, and it shows the Greens are trying to capture both protest energy and practical dissatisfaction. The party’s confidence is real, but it is being carefully balanced with the warning not to become complacent.
What the North West result could change
Beyond Greater Manchester, the party’s position on Merseyside gives a wider picture of where it is already embedded. The Greens currently have 14 representatives on Wirral Council, eight on Knowsley Council and five in St Helens, with elections next month on the latter two authorities. They also have pockets of representation in Sefton and Liverpool City Council. That means the North West is not starting from zero; it is a patchwork of existing strength that could either deepen or stall.
If the Greens can add councillors in new places, the political consequence would be broader than one set of local results. It would strengthen the argument that the party can move from isolated wins to regional relevance. If not, the Manchester visit may still matter, but more as an early marker of ambition than proof of expansion. The real question now is whether hannah spencer and her party can turn local frustration into durable local power before 7 May.
