WORCESTER Green Party is celebrating what it calls "real progress" in the Faithful City after analysing its performance in the local elections.

Leader Chris Lennard spent the Bank Holiday weekend pouring over the results in Worcester - where the greens got 10 per cent of the votes.

The party still has no councillors in the city, but managed to double and even triple their support in some wards compared to last time the seats were contested.

The Greens had 250 more voters across St Peter's and Cathedral, and tripled its vote share in Warndon Parish North to 192.

Mr Lennard said: "Two of our best three seats were not up for election this year, yet we still managed to increase our vote share in nearly half of the seats.

"Compared with two years ago, we've doubled our vote share in Cathedral and St Peter's and tripled our vote share in Warndon Parish.

"The Green Party is a breath of fresh air and the fact that other parties are starting to green' themselves is testament to our growing influence.

"People want a cleaner, greener city which promotes local businesses, cuts energy waste and saves local people money."

The party also decided to stand general election candidate Ruth Stafford as a hopeful in St Clement, where she finished fourth with 209 votes - 12 per cent of the total.

Miss Stafford will go head-to-head with Worcester MP Mike Foster and Tory candidate Robin Walker for the Worcester seat at the next general election.

As the Worcester News reported last week, the Tory-run city council kept the status quo last week by maintaining a one-seat majority at the elections.

Guildhall bosses have made the environment a key focus - recycling rates in Worcester have increased seven per cent since the introduction of a new wheelie bin fortnightly rubbish collection scheme.

It recently renamed the environmental health department cleaner and greener' to give it a re-brand.