15 Apr 2013

THE GREEN Party are proud to announce that they are standing over 1000 candidates

Green Party County Elections Launch to take place in Oxford at County Hall on April 19th at 11am.


THE GREEN Party are proud to announce that they are standing over 1000 candidates are standing in May’s County Elections, with over 60 candidates standing across Oxfordshire.


The Green Party’s key campaign issues for 2013 include:


: • No to Welfare Cuts — The Green Party believes that cuts to essential welfare programs like jobseekers’ assistance benefits, NHS services, and disability living allowances will only harm the economy further. The Government’s failed austerity measures have done nothing to bring Britain out of the recession and only served to line the pockets of banks and big business, leaving those who are most in need of assistance helpless. Green led Brighton and Hove Council has paved the way in declaring “No evictions for the Bedroom Tax”.


Yes to a Living Wage — The Green Party believes that all people deserve a living wage, rather than a minimum wage. This means earnings should be no less than 60% of net national average earnings (approximately £8.10 per hour). The institution of a living wage will help ensure low paid workers earn enough to provide for themselves and their families and eradicate poverty in Britain for good. Green Councillors are leading the way in making their councils Living Wage employers.


· Transport —The Green Party is committed to introducing 20mph speed limits across the UK, improving pedestrian and cyclist safety. Cycle lanes where possible and genuine improvements in local public transport (increased buses to rural areas and improved local train service). We oppose the HS2 rail system, which is at its core a deeply flawed project that will not deliver the benefits it promises. The rail project is economically unsound, as the train as planned will cost each parliamentary constituency an average of £51 million—money which could be better spent on improving existing essential services. Furthermore, the proposed train will burn nearly 50% more energy per mile than the Eurostar, making the HS2 project both a financial and environmental disaster.


· No to Incinerators — The Green Party firmly opposes the construction of new incinerators anywhere in the U.K. Incinerators are costly, dangerous to public health, and can be easily replaced by greener forms of waste diversion. Not only are incinerators dangerous to both the environment and the population, releasing harmful gasses and particulate matter directly into the atmosphere, but building new incinerators is also completely unnecessary. Encouraging the reduced production of waste and encouraging growth of recycling programs has proven to be one of the most effective forms of reducing overall waste, which would eliminate the need for more incinerators entirely.



· Yes to Saving the Green Belt — Protecting the Green Belt from development just for development’s own sake is one of the Green Party’s key priorities. While the Tories believe that the best place to erect new housing projects is the Green Belt, we sharply disagree. As one of the last truly rural and unspoiled tracts of land left in England, it is vital that we protect the Green Belt from destruction in the name of short-term economic progress. It makes far better sense both economically and environmentally to renovate the 720,000 empty properties across the U.K. instead, which will keep housing costs down and regenerate struggling communities.





ENDS

For more information, contact the Green Party press office on 0207 549 0315 or press@greenparty.org.uk


Notes

1. For more information about Green Party Policies on transport, visit:



2. For more information about Green Party Policies on the environment, visit:



4. For more information about Green Party Policies on a living wage, visit:

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