In Cambridge City, voters demonstrated their desire for change by voting the first Green councillor onto Cambridgeshire County Council. Simon Sedgwick-Jell who beat the leader of the Cambridge Labour Party with over 40% of the vote. This means that our County Council now has a Green representative who will represent our views and ensure that in the future decisions of the council will be scrutinised by someone who puts people and the environment before money and big business.

The results of the European Election are due tomorrow Sunday 7th June.

For three decades, the Green Party has led the way with policies to address the critical challenges facing Britain. Challenges ranging from the climate crisis to the current recession, from the deterioration of public transport to the erosion of standards in public services. The problems are interrelated, and so are the solutions. To meet these challenges effectively, we need to change the economy.

Decades of Labour and Tory governments have given us depleted and demoralised public services, communities under pressure, financial chaos, unemployment and environmental breakdown. All of these problems have been either caused or made worse by the way the economy has worked. From Thatcherism through the New Labour years, the ideology of privatisation and liberalisation has put private profit before the public good. The other main parties in British politics keep repeating old mantras, employing old policy formulas, which have been shown not to work.

But here is an alternative: a Green New Deal, an approach to economic recovery that would put Britain firmly on the way to sustainable development, addressing the climate crisis, circumventing the peak oil problem, while improving community cohesion and fostering genuine accountability and democracy.

Across the country voters have already found out that the Green Party offers an attractive alternative to “politics as usual”. Greens are getting elected in increasing numbers - with around 120 principal authority councillors now. The two existing Green Party MEPs, Caroline Lucas and Jean Lambert, have led the cause of fairness and sustainability in Brussels. Our London Assembly Members, Jenny Jones and Darren Johnson, have ensured huge investments in communities and services and continued to vigorously defend these in the face of cuts imposed by the new Conservative mayor. In Scotland, Green Party MSPs have been just as effective.

These European elections are conducted under proportional representation, so every vote for a Green MEP will count. And throughout Britain, voters have learned that the only wasted vote is a vote you don’t believe in. The European Union will be part of our changing future. How it changes depends on individual votes in these elections. Do we want a Europe that puts the interests of people and planet first, or a Europe dominated by markets and multinationals? European policy on the economy, food and climate change will affect every life and every community. In the wider world,

Europe has a decisive voice in rebuilding the economic and financial system, and in the vital environmental decisions that will be made in Copenhagen this year. Britain is at a crossroads. Do you want business as usual? More financial chaos and environmental breakdown? Communities under pressure and growing inequality? There is a positive and practical alternative. We can have a fairer society. We can have a sustainable economy. We can have better public services that are accountable to you the public.

Vote for the Green Party and together we will make it happen.

New figures released by the Office of National Statistics reveal that unemployment in Huntingdonshire has soared in recent months. With the trend set to continue isn’t it time that our councillors stopped leaning back and waiting for Westminster to do something? The Green Party is actively supporting the Green New deal, an idea proposed by top economists and the United Nations to revive the economy, slash poverty and avert climate disaster. While MP’s drag their feet, tell us to borrow and spend more and turn our TV’s off stand by, Green Party councillors across the country have been using the ideas set out in the Green New Deal to develop their own answers to the credit crisis.

Free insulation for every home in Kirklees

In Kirklees, Green Party councillors have spearheaded an initiative to install loft and cavity wall insulation free to every single house in the area. The project which began last year has insulated more than 5,000 homes. These householders stand to save around £150 a year on their heating bills and substantially more if heating costs keep rising. In addition to this almost 200 new local jobs have been created.

Local Green New Deal

In Sheffield, the Green Party organised a conference earlier this year, bringing together almost 150 politicians, academics and environmentalists. Together they have come up with a plan to revitalise the local economy whilst at the same time reducing the carbon footprint of the area.
 

A first for Parish Councils

Kirkburton Parish Council was the first in the country to take advantage of the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 which gave powers to promote microgeneration and energy conservation. The parish council which has 10 Green party councillors used the provision to produce a Microgeneration Action Plan amongst other things to provide renewable power to public buildings and make them more energy efficient.

There’s no reason why we in Huntingdonshire should be left behind in the scramble to become more sustainable, with better local services, more local jobs and without destroying our natural environment in the process. All we need is some determination, vision and councillors willing to listen and take action. 

We're actively seeking new membership to help us in this work building our presence in Huntingdonshire and making our voices heard. Now, more than ever, a  change in attitude is needed by politicians. We are being hit by a triple whammy of events:

• The credit crunch
• Peak oil
• Global climate change

We need to ensure that our MP's and councillors sit up and take notice of these problems and that they know that we won't stand Greenwash. 

 In Huntingdonshire we need to make sure that the district and county council don't get away with rejecting another plan for a wind farm, scrapping another bus route, allowing local post offices to close or privatising our local hospital. We need to get Green councillors elected to oppose things like this. We need your help.

 Keep an eye out on our website for details of our spring relaunch in St Neots or join our mailing list to get more information straight to your mailbox.