Cllr Chantelle Lunt will become the eighth Green Party representative in Knowsley since the party secured its first seat back in 2018
Cllr Chantelle Lunt will become the eighth Green Party representative in Knowsley since the party secured its first seat back in 2018
A Merseyside councillor said she has quit the Labour Party to join the Greens after becoming frustrated by its policy direction, and said recent u-turns on the winter fuel allowance and the two-child benefit cap were ‘too little, too late’.
Cllr Chantelle Lunt was newly elected to represent St Gabriels ward in 2024, after seeing off the challenge by Green Party candidate Crispin Evans. Her victory meant Labour maintained its 17 seat majority at Knowsley Council, holding 31 seats, followed by the Green Party with seven, and the other seven seats split between the Liberal Democrats and Independents.
Cllr Lunt’s defection to the Greens means they now hold all three seats in the St Gabriels ward. The Greens will hope the addition of Cllr Lunt indicates growing support for the party in Knowsley, as it positions itself as a progressive alternative to Labour.
With 2025 being a fallow year, there were no local elections in Knowsley, but that will change this year, and as people head to the polls to cast their votes for the 2026, 2027 and 2028 elections, the Greens will be targeting even more seats.
In a letter to her constituents, Cllr Lunt said the decision to join the Greens came after “much reflection”, and expressed concerns about the pace and scale of Labour’s policy changes.
She said the current approach in government is “not delivering the urgent action Knowsley needs”, and cited the long-term impacts of austerity, delays to social policy reforms, and concerns about democratic accountability.
The ward councillor for St Gabriels also referenced recent policy shifts, highlighting the government’s u-turns on the two‑child benefit cap and Winter Fuel Payments, only coming after “immense public pressure,”. Cllr Lunt described these moves as “too little, too late” for residents facing the cost‑of‑living crisis.
Cllr Lunt told the Liverpool ECHO: “I’m joining the Greens because Knowsley needs strong, serious scrutiny. I want to strengthen constructive opposition and push for better outcomes for our residents.
“I want to be part of a team that refuses to settle for a mere ‘change of management’ by Labour. We don’t need new people managing the same old decline; we need a complete rejection of the policies that have held the North West back for over 15 years.”
Cllr Lunt confirmed she will continue to serve on Knowsley Council and reaffirmed her ongoing commitment to residents within her ward. She said her values of “social justice, fairness, accountability, and dignity” will continue to guide her work.
In December the Greens announced a “huge” defection as five Labour councillors joined the party in London borough of Brent, in what is claimed to be the largest mass move of its kind. That update came after it was reported the Greens’ membership had surged to more than 180,000, up from some 70,000 when its leader Zack Polanski was elected in September 2025.
Cllr Lunt’s defection is likely to spark further worries for Labour ahead of the forthcoming elections in May, as it continues to remain unpopular in opinion polls.
However, Knowsley is considered one of Labour’s strongest constituencies, and it would take a huge swing to unseat the borough’s Labour council.
