A former Cheshire West and Chester Labour councillor has joined the Green Party, having previously sat as an independent.

Cllr Jimmy Shannon, who represents Whitby Groves in Ellesmere Port, left the Labour Party in summer 2025, citing concerns about national party policy.

CWAC Green Party chair Nick Brown said Cllr Shannon is "the first standing Councillor in Cheshire to switch to the Green Party" and suggested others could follow.

Confirming the move, Cllr Shannon said it would be "business as usual" for residents.

"I have joined a party that aligns with my core beliefs and clearly puts people and this planet first – by tackling crippling inequality, protecting public services, access to affordable, safe housing and safeguarding the future of our environment," he said. 

"I will continue to fight alongside my fellow Green Councillors for the interests of those living in Whitby Groves, and more widely across Cheshire West, to get the changes we desperately need."

The Green and Independent Alliance currently has three councillors on Cheshire West and Chester Council.

"Jimmy is a true union man and an outstanding representative for his local community. We welcome him into the party with open arms," the Green Party chair added.

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Stating the party is growing both locally and nationally, he confirmed that Cllr Shannon will work alongside fellow Whitby councillor John Roach in Ellesmere Port.

When Cllr Shannon resigned from the local Labour Party in June 2025, he government of doubling down on "Tory-style austerity". 

At the time, he said: "I joined to fight for real, systematic change - for a fairer society. As a working class man and trade unionist, I can no longer remain in a party that has abandoned its roots."

Cllr Shannon is currently working with Cllr Roach on the Stanlow Pollution Watch campaign, which focuses on concerns about chemical pollution from the Stanlow industrial site.