Fighting poverty, restoring democracy: St Helens Green Party Manifesto 2014

8 May 2014

St Helens Green Party has published its manifesto for the 2014 local elections.

The party, which is fielding candidates in 14 of the 16 the St Helens borough wards, has made fighting poverty its number one commitment.

"We need a borough with an exciting future as well as a proud past" says Windle candidate Francis Williams. "We need a place where people and communities really do come first, not political parties or self-serving individuals. The Green Party can make a difference.

"Too many people in St Helens, whether in or out of work, are struggling to get by.

"Household bills continue to rise, while wages stagnate and welfare cuts hit those already on the lowest incomes. Many families are forced into the hands of loan sharks and high street predators promising quick fixes that turn into living nightmares. 

"A Green St Helens Council will create a fighting fund to help the most vulnerable families escape the clutches of loan sharks and similar creditors, and sign up instead with local credit unions offering low-cost loans and financial stability."

The Green Party will:

  • seek to reduce the number of councillors from 48 to 32 (from three per ward to two). The savings – well over £100,000 per year – will be invested with credit unions and other anti-poverty groups to help them help others;
  • consult on a review of the current election cycle, which sees poorly supported local elections in three out of every four years at an estimated cost of £100,000 per year. 
    A move to all-out elections once every four years would release an estimated £500,000 per election cycle to be re-invested in anti-poverty measures, including household energy efficiency and renewable energy schemes such as solar. These funds will also be used to support people facing financial pressures or even eviction because of the disgraceful bedroom tax. A Green St Helens Council will not stand by and see people pushed out onto the streets due to an unjust law.

Other manifesto higlights include an in-depth investigation into Labour's Liverpool City Region deal - and a commitment to giving residents a say if the sums don't add up.

  • Fighting poverty. We will cut the number of councilors and use the money saved to fight poverty.
  • Restoring democracy. We will take power away from the town hall and closer to communities across the borough, and scrutinise the business case for Merseyside/Liverpool City Region. If it doesn’t stack up, we’ll seek to take St Helens out.  
  • Rebuilding the local economy. We will work with public and private partners, co-operatives and communities to transform our economy and create lasting jobs.  
  • Bringing down energy bills, fighting fracking. We’ll say “no” to government bribes and “yes” to helping residents in Sutton, Newton-le-Willows and Bold fight fracking. We will focus investment on energy efficiency and reducing fuel poverty, while creating employment and generating money for the local economy.
  • Connecting St Helens. We’ll campaign for real investment in public transport locally – investment that benefits local people, businesses and communities here and now. Unlike before, this will be underpinned by proper businesses cases to give them a chance of success.
  • Protecting Parkside. We support, in principle, the redevelopment of the former Parkside Colliery, but we will insist on a wide range of environmental measures to protect local communities and the green belt.
  • Greening St Helens. We will work to create a local environment that really is cleaner, greener and safer. We will stop concreting over our countryside and instead create urban ‘wildways’ to get children and families in touch with the countryside on their doorsteps. And we will take a zero tolerance approach to litter, fly-tipping and dog fouling,
  • Protecting public services. A Green council will put its own house in order before any more local services are slashed. We will reform the council’s bloated expenses and allowances system that allows political parties to profit at taxpayers’ expense, and put vulnerable people first.
  • Enhancing St Helens town centre. We will introducea raft of improvement measures within a one mile radius of St Helens town centre, taking urgent steps to address its concrete jungle’ image and create instead a ‘garden city’. We want to bring visitors in to St Helens, not turn them away.
  • Defending health services. We believe that the NHS should be publicly funded and publicly run. We will continue to fight against the market-driven destruction of the NHS. Local people, patients and community care will come before privatisation and profit.
  • Building better housing. We will aim to ensure that ALL homes, in all sectors, are decent, affordable and available. And we will work to get empty buildings brought back into use by extending the use of Empty Dwelling Management Orders.
  • Offering a fairer deal for children, young people and parents. We will focus our efforts on getting as many young people into training and employment as possible. And we’ll protect services that help vulnerable young people in need and provide them specialist advice and support, boost their skills and confidence, and help them to fulfill their potential in life.

Green Party candidates

Billinge - Sue Rahman 
Blackbrook - Ellen Finney
Bold - Dave Parr
Earlestown - Elizabeth Ward
Eccleston - Andrew Brownlow
Haydock - Paul Finnigan
Moss Bank - Brian Hart
Newton-le-Willows - Ann Shacklady-Smith
Parr - Peter
Rainford - Ian Fraser
Rainhill - Ian Donnelly
Sutton - Alex Brodie
Thatto Heath - Karen Atherton
Town Centre - Freda Brodie
West Park - Alison Donnelly
Windle - Francis Williams






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