Last modified on Sun 9 May 2021 17.15 EDT The co-leader of the Green party has said voters have finally come to accept his party as a credible electoral force as he marked gains from both Labour and the Conservatives in local elections. Jonathan Bartley said the partyâs strong performance in areas such as Bristol â where it is now the joint-largest party, forcing the Labour mayor Marvin Rees into a run-off vote â showed it could no longer be dismissed as a wasted vote. âWeâre moving from being the biggest small party to being one of the big parties,â he said. âWeâve been polling ahead of the Lib Dems and weâve seen in this election that there are no no-go areas for the Greens.â