Two members of Spelthorne Borough Council in Surrey join Breakthrough

 8th March 2022

Breakthrough’s presence in local government has grown again after three sitting councillors joined the Party this week.

Veena Siva and Jenny Vinson are both members of Spelthorne Borough Council in Surrey. Both former Labour councillors have been alienated by the Party’s rightward turn. Explaining their decisions they say:

In December 2020, I resigned from the Labour Party, unable to tolerate the suppression of democracy in the Party under Keir Starmer and its shift away from the socialist policies set out in Labour’s 2019 manifesto.

After over a year of sitting on Spelthorne Borough Council as an Independent Councillor for Staines Ward, I am delighted to join the Breakthrough Party, a party which represents the common good in the U.K. I have finally found a party with the values and policy platform which are genuinely based on the principles of social, environmental and economic justice.

In addition to the Climate Emergency, my main focus as a councillor is pressing for a desperately needed increase in affordable housing. Breakthrough’s policy to limit rents to 30% of local income exactly mirrors what I’ve been calling for in Spelthorne. This would prevent people from getting into debt and enable them to afford other essential living costs and save for the future.

It is vital that the Breakthrough Party, with its egalitarian, socialist vision, is elected into government as soon as possible, and I look forward to working with them to reverse the damage that has been wrought on the UK by the current government.

Councillor Veena Siva

Since leaving Labour I have been searching for a party that shares my socialist values and genuinely wants to improve the lives of the majority of the people in this country. The Breakthrough Party has emerged and given me hope for the future. Since becoming a member I have been impressed with the organisation of the party and have decided to move from an independent to a Breakthrough councillor. I hope others in a similar position will also take the plunge.

Councillor Jenny Vinson

Greeting the news, Breakthrough leader Alex Mays says:

I’m absolutely thrilled to have Veena, Jenny & Tim join us.

They bring with them invaluable experience in local politics and trade unionism, and an unrivalled passion to build a fairer society and a fairer world.

I can’t wait to work with them and help make that happen!

In 2021, three sitting Labour councillors defected to Breakthrough, and this year the Party has welcomed the Mayor of Bangor, councillor Owen Hurcum, as well as Folkestone councillor Jonathan A. Graham.

Breakthrough recently announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with other left-wing parties, forming a political coalition known as the People’s Alliance of the Left (PAL).