The Green Party’s Autumn Conference in Bournemouth delivered a clear signal of the Party’s ambitions under new leader Zack Polanski. Featuring bold policy proposals on housing, energy infrastructure and public ownership, alongside sharp criticism of Labour’s current trajectory, the conference revealed a party seeking to capitalise on a shifting political landscape.

A party on the move

Speaking just one month into his leadership, Polanski positioned the Greens as a party capitalising on Labour’s vulnerabilities. He cited defecting Labour councillors and growing Green Party membership as evidence of a “moment of change”, challenging what he called Labour’s “arrogant assumptions” about voter loyalty.

A strengthening Green presence in local government means navigating an evolving political landscape where environmental and social considerations increasingly shape planning decisions.

A radical shift

Perhaps the most significant development when it came to housing was the conference’s passage of a motion calling for the “effective abolition of private landlordism.” This wasn’t a fringe proposal – it passed with a significant majority.

Key measures proposed include:

• Introduction of rent controls
• Ban on Buy to Let mortgages
• Councils given first refusal on property sales (particularly for properties failing insulation standards or vacant for over six months)
• New taxation on Airbnbs and short lets
• Double taxation on empty properties
• Scrapping Right to Buy
• State-owned building company for council house construction.

Steve Jackson of Greens Organise stated that “the private rental sector in this country is broken beyond repair”. While these policies remain aspirational, they indicate the direction in which Green-controlled councils might push policy.

“Consultation is not notification”

On renewable energy development, Polanski struck a pragmatic yet principles-driven tone. He acknowledged the urgent need for energy infrastructure to tackle the climate crisis but emphasised that “consultation is not notification”.

His key message: communities most affected by renewable energy projects must be “at the table” in decision-making processes, not merely informed after decisions are made by politicians and energy companies.

Green economic policy

Polanski’s core argument connected the climate crisis directly to the cost-of-living crisis, noting that “food inflation is made worse by climate breakdown” and that both hit the poorest communities hardest.

He criticised Labour’s energy policies, including airport expansions and new drilling exploration, characterising them as “managed decline” dressed up in “Reform-baiting policymaking”.

The conference reinforced the party’s opposition to privatisation, with Polanski pledging to put water into “public hands”. This anti-privatisation stance extends across sectors and suggests increased scrutiny of private sector involvement in public infrastructure projects.

Looking ahead

While the Green Party remains the UK’s fourth-largest party, its influence in local government continues to grow. The Bournemouth conference painted a picture of a party gaining confidence and clarity under new leadership, with Polanski’s critique of Labour’s “managed decline” and his party’s bold policy agenda signalling an increasingly assertive political force.

The conference’s key themes were unmistakable: the climate and cost-of-living crises are inseparable, privatisation has failed and additional renewable energy investment is non-negotiable. Whether on housing policy, renewable energy infrastructure or wealth taxation, the Green Party is positioning itself as the alternative to Labour and what Polanski characterised as its “Reform-baiting policymaking”.