Adrian Ramsay



Cllr Adrian Philip Ramsay is an English politician and Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. First elected at the age of 21 in 2003, he is a Green Party councillor representing Nelson Ward on Norwich City Council, where he is Coordinator of a thirteen-strong Green Group. He is one of the country's youngest councillors and the Green Party's youngest ever councillor, elected in his first election and at the youngest age a person could (at the time) run in local elections. In an interview in May 2006 with the BBC, Ramsay was described as "pursuing a full-time career through his council work on a £9,500 annual allowance".

Early life and education
Ramsay was "born and brought up in Norwich". He studied as an undergraduate at the University of East Anglia (UEA), where he gained a first class honours degree in Politics. He then became a postgraduate student.

Local councillor
Ramsay began preparing to run in local elections for the Green Party at a young age and was described as “an active local campaigner since he was 16”. In preparation for running, he apparently "spent three years working hard in the ward, talking to people and canvassing on behalf of the Greens" before being old enough to stand, as well as taking roles nationally within the Green Party, such as being the Planning and Economic Development Spokesperson and taking part in debates about youth issues on the party’s behalf.

Ramsay was first elected to Norwich City Council representing Nelson Ward in May 2003 with 50% of the vote. He was re-elected in June 2004 with 49% of the vote. In 2007, he was again re-elected with 62% of the vote.

As a councillor, Ramsay is or has been a member of the Licensing Committee, Regulatory Committee, Scrutiny Committee and Constitution Working Party Committee. He, along with other members of the Council Green Group, have lobbied to make Norwich a Fairtrade City and campaigned for better recycling facilities.

Parliamentary Candidate
While still a postgraduate student, Ramsay began running as a parliamentary candidate in the Norwich South constituency. Ramsay, who had been actively involved in a campaign against top-up fees at UEA, challenged the incumbent Labour MP and then Education Secretary, Charles Clarke, who had introduced top-up fees for British higher education students. In the 2005 General Election, Ramsay came fourth in the constituency with 7.4% of the vote (3,101 votes). In the 2007 local elections, the Green Party came top in the number of votes cast in wards across the constituency with 29% of the vote.

Deputy Leader
Ramsay was elected the first ever Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales on the 5th of September 2008. Before this, the Greens had a system of 'Principal Speakers'.