Rachel Millward

Rachel Millward
Millward in 2025
Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales
Incumbent
Assumed office
2 September 2025
Serving with Mothin Ali
LeaderZack Polanski
Preceded byZack Polanski
Leader of Wealden District Council[a]
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 May 2026
Preceded byJames Partridge
In office
15 May 2024 – 14 May 2025
Serving with James Partridge
Preceded byAnn Newton
Succeeded byJames Partridge
Deputy Leader of Wealden District Council[a]
In office
14 May 2025 – 14 May 2026
Serving with James Partridge
Preceded byJames Partridge
Succeeded byJames Partridge
In office
24 May 2023 – 15 May 2024
Serving with James Partridge
Preceded byPhilip Lunn
Succeeded byJames Partridge
Wealden District Councillor
for Hartfield
Incumbent
Assumed office
2 December 2021
Preceded byChris Hardy
Majority318 (25.8%)
Personal details
BornRachel Hannah Millward
(1977-01-11) 11 January 1977
West Midlands, England
PartyGreen Party of England and Wales
Children2
EducationSt Hugh's College, Oxford (BA)
University of Cape Town (MA)
Websitehttps://rachelforsussex.co.uk/

Rachel Hannah Millward (born 11 January 1977) is a British politician currently serving as Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales since September 2025, alongside Mothin Ali.[3] She has also served as the Wealden District Councillor for Hartfield since 2021 and co-leader of the council since 2023.[4] Millward is the Green Party candidate for Mayor of Sussex and Brighton in the 2028 mayoral election.[5][6]

Early life and education

Millward was born on 11 January 1977 in the West Midlands to Maurice and Sheila Millward.[7][8][9] She has two sisters and two brothers.[10] Millward attended King Henry VIII School, a private school in Coventry.[11] She then graduated with a bachelor's degree in theology from the University of Oxford in 1999 before completing a master's programme in gender and development from the African Gender Institute at the University of Cape Town in 2001.[12][13]

Media career

Millward initially worked as a researcher for independent film and television productions.[13] She then founded the Birds Eye View film festival with Pinny Grylls in 2002 to showcase films made by women.[13][14] Millward served as the festival's director until 2014, and the festival has since evolved into the charity Reclaim the Frame.[15] In August 2006, Millward was nominated as a "world changing woman" by The Guardian for her work with Birds Eye View.[16]

In 2009, she was awarded a fellowship by the Clore Duffield Foundation as part of their leadership programme and was nominated in the media category at the Women of the Future awards.[17][18] From 2014 to 2016, Millward was the arts director at The Old Church in Stoke Newington.[12][19] She then served as an executive director at Sam Lee's Nest Collective from 2016 to 2020.[12]

Political career

Millward ran as the Green Party candidate in the 2021 by-election for the Hartfield seat on Wealden District Council, following the death of councillor Chris Hardy.[20] She won the seat by 122 votes against the Conservative Party candidate Bruce Rainbow, gaining the seat from the Conservatives.[21] Millward retained her seat in the 2023 Wealden District Council election, with an increased majority of 318.[22] She was appointed joint-leader of the council in May 2023 alongside the Liberal Democrat councillor James Partridge, as part of a coalition agreement between the two parties.[23][24][25]

In July 2023, Millward was selected as the Green Party's prospective candidate for the constituency of Sussex Weald, but withdrew in May 2024 over concerns about being both a parliamentary candidate and leader of the council.[1][26] In June 2025, Millward announced her candidacy for the Green Party deputy leadership election.[27] Due to Zack Polanski winning the leadership election, Millward and Mothin Ali were elected as joint–deputy leaders, as the Green Party constitution stipulates that if there is a singular leader, there must be two deputy leaders.[3][28]

In October 2025, Millward was selected as the Green Party candidate for Mayor of Sussex and Brighton for the 2028 mayoral election.[6]

Personal life

Millward lives in Hartfield with her husband and two children.[20] Her elder daughter was born on the opening day of the 2010 Birds Eye View film festival.[13]

Electoral performance

Wealden District Council

2023 Wealden District Council election: Hartfield[22]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Rachel Millward 774 62.9 +19.8
Conservative Janie Robinson 456 37.1 −19.8
Majority 318 25.8
Turnout 1,230 43.2 +7.4
Green hold Swing +19.8
Hartfield by-election: 2 December 2021[21]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Green Rachel Millward 589 55.8 +12.7
Conservative Bruce Rainbow 467 44.2 −12.7
Majority 122 11.6
Turnout 1,056
Green gain from Conservative Swing +25.4

Deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales

2025 Green Party of England and Wales deputy leadership election[29]
PartyCandidateFPv%Count
1234567
Green Mothin Ali 33.51% 5,366 5,337.67
Green Rachel Millward 22.83% 3,656 3,665.36 3,685.42 3,712.56 3,854.01 4,260.24 5,003.24
Green Frank Adlington-Stringer 16.03% 2,567 2,570.82 2,583.84 2,618.02 2,839.60 3,274.42 3,642.42
Green Antoinette Fernandez 9.09% 1,455 1,460.96 1,480.01 1,516.10 1,683.86 1,997.67 7.67
Green Ani Townsend 8.46% 1,355 1,358.43 1,368.47 1,397.58 1,654.18 0
Green Alex Mace 3.43% 549 550.41 557.43 575.51 0
Green Ashley Routh 3.28% 526 527.70 535.73 549.80 0
Green Thomas Daw 1.52% 243 243.87 251.87 0
Green Chas Warlow 1.00% 160 160.30 0
Re-open nominations 0.86% 136 137.44 145.47 148.50 166.65 222.86 287.86
Exhausted votes 0 0.99 67.05 157.21 476.99 920.12 1734.12
Valid: 16,013   Quota: 5,337.67   Turnout: 16,013  

References

  1. 1 2 "Wealden District Council has elected a new leader for the coming year". SussexWorld. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  2. ↑ "Your Councillors". Wealden District Council.
  3. 1 2 Corry, Paul (2 September 2025). "Green Party members elect two councillors as deputy leaders". Green Party of England and Wales. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  4. ↑ "Councillor details – Councillor Rachel Millward". Wealden District Council. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "Sussex and Brighton devolution consultation". Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. 17 February 2025. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
  6. 1 2 Wright, Charlotte (5 October 2025). "'We're zooming up the fast-track' – Greens". BBC News. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  7. ↑ "Rachel Hannah MILLWARD personal appointments". GOV.UK. Companies House. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  8. ↑ Millward, Rachel. "Rachel Millward official website". Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  9. ↑ Millward, Rachel [@millward_rachel]; (11 January 2026). "*The clocks in our world have stopped. The great oak of our forest has fallen.* My absolute bloody legend of a Dad, Maurice Millward, died here at home with us, quite out the blue, last Tuesday. He moved in exactly a year ago today, my birthday - such a privilege to have had him tucked in with us for this year, whilst he gradually shed all his worries, and replaced them with jigsaws and pud-pud. And what an honour to have held his hands whilst he let go of the final, ultimate fear". Retrieved 13 January 2026 – via Instagram.
  10. ↑ "Maurice Millward (1931-2026)". Presto Music. 12 January 2026. Retrieved 13 January 2026.
  11. ↑ "Former Pupils". King Henry VIII School. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 Millward, Rachel. "Rachel Millward". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Rachel Millward". One Hundred Women. September 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  14. ↑ "History". Birds Eye View. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  15. ↑ "Reclaim the Frame celebrates 20 year anniversary". British Cinematographer. 7 February 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  16. ↑ Clouting, Lucy (21 August 2006). "Simply the best". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  17. ↑ "Clore Fellows – 2009 Cohort". Clore Leadership Programme. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  18. ↑ "Women of the Future Awards shortlist 2009". Women of the Future Awards UK. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  19. ↑ Bartholomew, Emma (23 February 2016). "Sing along with Ansuman Biswas at Stoke Newington Old Church... for 24 hours". Hackney Gazette. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  20. 1 2 "Rachel Millward – Green Party Councillor for Hartfield". Wealden Green Party. 3 November 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  21. 1 2 Scott, Trevor (2 December 2021). "Declaration of Result of Poll – Wealden District Council – Hartfield Ward" (PDF). Wealden District Council. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  22. 1 2 Scott, Trevor (5 May 2023). "Election of a District Councillor for Hartfield". Wealden District Council. Archived from the original on 21 May 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  23. ↑ "Wealden District Council: Lib Dem and Green Coalition". Politics UK. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  24. ↑ "The Green Party takes its turn for the leadership of Wealden District Council". The Heathfield News. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  25. ↑ "Wealden to be run by Green and Lib Dem alliance after Tory election defeat". BBC News. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  26. ↑ "Introducing current deputy leader of Wealden district council, Cllr Rachel Millward, as our Green parliamentary candidate for the Sussex Weald constituency". Wealden Green Party via Facebook. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  27. ↑ Oxburgh, Huw (11 June 2025). "Wealden councillor seeks election to national Green Party post". SussexWorld. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  28. ↑ Jarvis, Chris (9 June 2025). "Everything you need to know about the Green Party leadership election". Bright Green. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  29. ↑ "The Winners". Green Party. 2 September 2025. Retrieved 2 September 2025.

Notes

  1. 1 2 The Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Labour run the council in a coalition, in which Millward and the Liberal Democrat James Partridge swap leader and deputy roles every year in a de facto co-leadership.[1][2]
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