The leader of a Suffolk district council has been selected as her party's candidate for the Norfolk and Suffolk mayoral election.
Caroline Topping, leader of East Suffolk Council, will be representing the Green Party at the election, which is due to take place in May 2026 and has pledged to "fight the two counties' corner" at Westminster.
She said: “I am honoured to have been chosen to represent the area I have lived and worked in for most of my life.
READ MORE: Passmore Conservative choice for Norfolk and Suffolk Mayor
"I love this region but Norfolk and Suffolk have too often been left behind - one in three children live in poverty, government austerity has brought lots of our public services to their knees, local high streets are struggling and many rural communities are public transport deserts.”
“People have told me ‘Westminster is not listening to us’.
"Whilst many people have questioned why we need a mayor for Norfolk and Suffolk, if we want to take control over the area where we live, shape and improve it ourselves for the benefit of all its residents, then we need to draw power, decision-making and funding down from London and nearer to residents. We also need the budget to make an impact.
"Our time is now.”
Reflecting on her time as council leader, she said the authority had cracked down on fraud, built new council housing and driven the upgrade of play areas, all while coping with the challenges posed by new energy infrastructure and the new Sizewell C nuclear power station.
READ MORE: Kevin Keable Lib Dem candidate for Norfolk and Suffolk Mayor
She also spoke of her work during the COVID-19 pandemic, which included setting up a COVID Recovery Response to help those in isolation and the Beccles Community Hub.
Other parties have also announced their candidates, including the Tories, who have selected Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore as their candidate.
