Nick Stephens (pictured), who represented the community for four years, prior to losing his seat in 2014, was responding to an article in The Guardian about how the Greens had emerged as the dominant party in large parts of North Solihull.
The author Lynsey Hanley said that the surge in support for a proimmigration party suggested that the erosion of the Labour vote in former heartlands was not because working class people were becoming more right-wing in their views, and in fact their main concern was not being listened to.
Ms Hanley argued the Greens’ success on the estate where she grew up had been because they had engaged with residents.
She said: “Meeting people’s needs at a local level goes beyond leftright party politics, and this is where progressive parties can and must steal a march on right-wing charlatans who promise the stars and aren’t interested in delivering them.”
In a letter to the paper, Mr Stephens hit back and pointed out that it was he who had won back the seat in 2010 following the shock victory of the British National Party (BNP).
When he was unseated himself four years later, he said the Greens had played heavily on discontent over the Regeneration programme, but argued they had done a “poor job” holding the Conservative-run council to account since becoming the official opposition.
“The Greens established a foothold in Chelmsley Wood by bringing in swathes of supporters (and sometimes their candidates) from across the West Midlands, which was almost impossible to fight against,” said Mr Stephens.
“While I have respect for some individual Green party councillors who no doubt work hard as their Labour predecessors did, I totally reject the glib comments that Labour councillors took Chelmsley Wood for granted, as I gave a huge amount of time in serving the residents of an area with historical social problems, while holding a full-time job at the same time.”
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