Local Green politicians have paid tribute to John Marjoram, the first Green councillor ever to be elected in the UK, and the longest continuously serving Green councillor, who passed away yesterday (Saturday).

John was 86. He had been ill for some time and had stepped down from active politics in 2021.

A committed pacifist, environmentalist, internationalist, Quaker and anti-racist, John had lived in Stroud since 1968.

He played an active part in many campaigns, including opposing cuts to public services, the campaign against the Gulf War, and the campaign to remain in the EU.

He co-founded Stroud District Green Party in 1985 and was elected to Stroud District Council the followingyear, winning the Trinity ward seat and becoming the equal first Green Party councillor to be elected in the UK. He always said that the unfair First Past the Post voting system meant Greens had to work twice as hard to get elected but then worked twice as hard once elected; he campaigned hard for the voting system to be changed to proportional representation.

As well as being a District Councillor, John was one of the first councillors elected to Stroud Town Council when it was formed in 1990. He later became Mayor, being the UK's first Green Party mayor. John served as mayor for 10 civic years, and deputy mayor for seven. He introduced the concept of the ‘Mayor’s Bench’, a particular bench in the town centre where he would sit every Friday so that residents could come and talk to him.

In 2023, John received the title of Stroud Town’s first Honorary Freeman in recognition of his services to the community.

As a member of Stroud District Council’s planning committee he prevented many unsightly developments from happening locally.

He was pivotal in preventing one of Stroud’s most iconic landmarks, a former cloth factory called Hill Paul, from demolition. The town’s tallest building, it was due to be demolished in 2001. Thanks to John’s intervention with the owner, Hill Paul was eventually saved by members of the public, including some of the protesters, buying shares to fund the building’s conversion to a residential block.

Another iconic building saved from demolition thanks to John was Woodchester Mansion, then an unfinished and crumbling Victorian mansion near Stroud. John won by just two votes a motion calling on the then Tory-run council to purchase the building so that it could be refurbished, transferred to a trust and opened to the public.

John was a founding member of the successful Stroud Campaign Against the Ringroad (SCAR 1974-1978) Also high on his list of achievements was halting county council plans to route an A-road through the town centre. Ultimately the road was diverted and now runs around the outskirts of the town centre.

John was also involved with the high-profile Save our Trees campaign to stop trees from being cut down to facilitate a road-widening scheme and make way for a new Tesco store.

He helped a campaign to buy Lansdown Hall for the community and to rescue Stroud maternity hospital, which was facing closure for lack of government funding, and also the successful campaign to keep Uplands Post Office open.

Adrian Oldman, coordinator of Stroud District Green Party, said: “John
represented Stroud with integrity, dedication and a genuine desire to promote the well-being of people. He was inspirational; the ultimate community activist, using the local political process to help people and improve our community.

“He was tenacious, passionate, and always supported the underdog. He was a man of principle, always had time for others and a real commitment to help those who were in trouble.

“Our hearts go out to his wife, Laura, and his family.

“We owe him an immense debt of gratitude for his work building the party over the years and making it what it is today. Many existing and previous Green councillors stood for election because of John’s persuasion (myself included). We now have more than 400 paid-up members and run the minority administration on SDC, with 23 councillors. We have also been the majority on Stroud Town Council for many years.”
Photo credit: Simon Pizzey

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