The Green Party has announced who its candidates will be in the new ‘Ilkley and Addingham’ ward for the forthcoming “all out” elections to Bradford District Council.
Residents across the district will have the opportunity to vote for three candidates in the elections which are taking place on Thursday, 7 May 2026. Changes to local boundaries mean that Addingham has merged with Ilkley to create a newly enlarged ward.
The Greens currently hold one of the seats in Ilkley, after Ros Brown was elected in the most recent local elections, held in May 2024. She defeated the Conservative candidate in a tight race. Ros is well known in Ilkley as a hard-working campaigner and councillor with a deep commitment to listening to and serving the local community, including four years as an Ilkley Town Councillor and Deputy Mayor. Ros has lived in Ben Rhydding for 17 years with her husband, and their children attend the local secondary school. She has worked as a headteacher and academic and is a runner, cyclist, local church member and Fairtrade supporter.
Joining Ros on the ballot paper for the Greens will be Ellen D’Arcy, an Ilkley resident and secondary school teacher. Ellen says:
“Community life is vitally important to people in our area, and I am committed to strengthening this in Ilkley and Addingham. This means protecting and improving facilities, green spaces and public transport as well as supporting local businesses, community events and access to key services.
"I also want to engage with the opportunities and challenges of our area being a popular destination. As a keen user of the Lido I hope residents will trust me as an ally who will work to protect and improve Ilkley Pool and Lido alongside local people, Bradford Council and other stakeholders”.
Completing the team is Richard Wilson, an Ilkley resident and campaigner. Richard is a Chartered Accountant, who aims to bring his experience to bear in getting to grips with Bradford Council’s finances, amongst other things. Locally he is a keen member of Litter Free Ilkley and feels passionately about keeping our streets, countryside and rivers clean and safe.
Richard says:
“I hope the people of Ilkley and Addingham will put their trust in me to work hard for them cutting financial waste in Bradford Council and investing more in where it is badly needed.
"Bradford Council has been caught between a double whammy of poor management by the Labour administration and funding cuts by Conservative governments. Greens have a track record of working hard for the areas they represent and making improvements.”
Ros Brown says:
“I love being an Ilkley Ward councillor as I can help residents in even more meaningful ways, working hard to resolve their issues and speaking up at City Hall on their behalf. Having three Green councillors representing Ilkley and Addingham after 7 May would be a massive boost. Ellen, Richard and I work well as a team and together we could achieve so much more for the Ilkley and Addingham Ward”.
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