Campaigners from all over Bolton say they hope to build on their most recent election performance with an even bigger push next time.

This comes after the Green Party scored its biggest ever votes total across the three Bolton constituencies at this month’s general election.

Bolton Greens chair Alan Johnson says that the party will now be aiming to stand candidates across all of the borough’s 20 wards in the next local election in 2026.

Mr Johnson said: “This is much, much higher than we have ever achieved in Bolton and for me this is a shift in voting patterns.

“It was positive, as far as the Green Party is concerned, and we’re to build on it in 2026 when the next local elections are held.”

Green Party candidates Vicki Attenborough and Cllr Hanif AlliGreen Party candidates Vicki Attenborough and Cllr Hanif Alli (Image: Newsquest)

In the general election held on July 4, Green candidate Hanif Alli, who was elected as the party’s first councillor in Bolton weeks earlier, came fourth in Bolton North West with 4,683 votes.

This put him behind Reform UK’s Trevor Jones second place Adele Warren of the Conservatives and the winning candidate, Labour’s Kirith Entwistle.

In Bolton West, the Green Party’s Vicki Attenborough came fourth with 4,132 votes, behind Reform UK’s Dylan Evans, Conservative Chris Green and Labour’s Phil Brickell.

In Bolton South and Walkden, the Green’s Philip Kochitty came fifth with 2,827 votes.

This put him behind Conservative Mohammed Afzal, Jack Khan of the Workers Party, Reform UK’s Julie Pattison and Labour’s Yasmin Qureshi.

Mr Johnson says that the Greens have matched and, in some cases elsewhere around the country, outperformed other smaller parties like the Workers Party and Reform UK.

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The Greens will now be targeting areas like Halliwell, Great Lever and Rumworth in the next local elections.

But they will be standing across all 20 of the boroughs wards and plan to stand across all three Bolton parliamentary seats in the next general election.

Mr Johnson said that as well as campaigning for a ceasefire in Gaza, the party will also make the climate crisis and the crisis in the NHS key points.

He said: “We’ve got the momentum now, I’m totally convinced that the Green Party in Bolton now has got the momentum.”