Councillor Adam Pogonowski has had a letter published in the Guardian, urging the unions to support the Green Party:

It is apparent that patience with the Labour party has finally run out. For well over a decade, it has betrayed its core voters, tarnished the reputation of this country, and mismanaged the economy. It is timely therefore that major trade unions have openly criticised Labour's leadership and the fact that it agrees with Tory and Lib Dem economic policy. But the problem with Labour doesn't end with Ed Miliband and Ed Balls. The unsustainable economic policies endorsed by Labour, Lib Dems and Tories mean the same-old-same-old will continue for decades. More austerity measures, more politicians scamming ordinary taxpayers of their money, and more incompetent people supposedly governing our country.

If trade unions disaffiliate from Labour, the Green party welcomes them to join a party that stands up for hardworking people, that has sustainable and sensible economic policies, without being anti-business, and has the conviction to stand up for what it believes in without making promises, then betraying them. We welcome trade unionists to our party and look forward to working with them to better our country's future.

Cllr Adam Pogonowski
Green group leader, Cambridge city council

Both

• Caroline Lucas fights fuel poverty and excessive drinking
• Margaret Wright selected to stand again in Abbey

Abbey

• Abbey Action steering group developments
• Ditton Lane pedestrian and cycling crossing approved by East Area Committee 

Riverside

• Lorries in Oyster, Garlic & Stanley Roads
• A Waterspace study for Cambridge
• Improved Police priorities

- Abbey Edition

- Riverside Edition

Inside:

- Greens fight for NHS

- All Abbey’s Green Councillors signed a statement declaring that the English Defence League are not welcome in Cambridge.

- Cllr. Pogonowski has condemned a Lib Dem proposal to award households in Cambridge with gold stars if they are ‘good’ at recycling as patronising.

- Residents are being urged to form associations and 'friends' groups as part of the localism agenda.

- Hundreds of signatures have already been collected in support of a Post Office opening in Ditton Lane.

- After a short closure in September, Barnwell Road Library will re-open with self-service book machines installed.

- Where next for the mosaic from the Old Nursery School site in Wadloes Road?

-  Plans for a refurbishment of Abbey’s Scout Hut are progressing nicely.

- Now that 'localism' is apparently with us and decision-making is being devolved to the community through Area Committees, what are the new key issues?

- Greens succeeded in getting in writing the commitment to the upgrade of the whole of Riverside.

- Your roads: a dangerous cycle lane on Newmarket Road, success with the dangerous drain covers on the pavement, and County Highways delaying repairing damaged railing.

At St Paul's Centre, Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 1JP

An underlying question to much of today’s political agenda is "How can we get back to Economic Growth as soon as possible?", yet economic growth does not take into consideration finite natural resources, social justice and individual well-being. How can we escape the dependency of a system based on continuous economic growth? What alternatives are there? How can alternatives be implemented and given the priority they need in our crowded social and political agendas?

This "Ideas Day" will bring together prominent speakers and activists who have addressed these issues constructively from a sustainable point of view; as well as a range of individuals and groups who are developing and implementing practical alternatives. Our intention is that this day will stimulate thought and action amongst sustainability and green activists in and around Cambridge and the Eastern Region, leading to an intensification of appropriate economic, social and political change, locally, regionally and nationally.

OUTLINE PROGRAMME

Morning - The Bigger Picture:

Speakers of regional and national repute from a range of organisations such as the Green Economics Institute, New Economics Foundation, the Transition movement and Green Party. The case for a different kind of economics, with examples of policies and initiatives which are needed and are being introduced.

There will be opportunities for questions, and a panel discussion with speakers at the end of the morning.

Afternoon - Local Alternatives and Initiatives:

Table displays and workshops with opportunities to browse and discuss - demonstrating a range of local initiatives e.g. Transition groups, Carbon Footprint, local money, rural initiatives etc. Discussions on how such initiatives can lead to more effective local economies and influence broader economic thinking and policy.

Final plenary session to identify key ideas from the day, and ways to move forward.

VENUE

St Paul’s Centre, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 1JP (walking distance from Railway and Bus Stations).

http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=52.1974&lon=0.12965&zoom=17&layers=M

ADMISSION

Including lunch: £10, £20, or £30, based on ability to pay - you choose.

ORGANISERS

A working group drawn from Cambridge, South Cambridgeshire and Eastern Region Green Parties. For further information regarding the conference itself contact:
South Cambridgeshire Green Party: John Ranken, 26 High St, Girton, Cambridge CB3 0PU. john.ranken@virgin.net
Cambridge Green Party: Peter Pope, peter.pope@cantab.net, 01223 424357 or Ceri Galloway: 01223 840602

BOOKING

Download the full program here, and booking form here.

May

Cllr Adam Pogonowski, Abbey Ward, said of being a city councillor that "Part of what made me want to get involved was that young people need better representation politically. After all, with many of the bigger issues facing the world, global warming amongst them, it will be young people who will have to make difficult decisions in dealing with such problems in years to come." Charlotte Orson: Bright young people of Cambridge chosen to better city life. Cambridge First. 26 May 2011

Cllr Margaret Wright, Abbey Ward, was concerned about the effect of brighter street lamps as part of a more than £50 million Private Finance Initiative-funded project across Cambridgeshire: "What can residents do about street lamps that might have a large impact on their bedrooms? What routes are there for residents to have their input about something that might markedly change their environment?" £52 million to replace 47,000 Cambridgeshire street lights. Cambridge First, 21 May 2011

Cllr Pogonowski criticised leaked plans to cut the number of council cycling and walking officers: "I think it’s hypocritical of the Liberal Democrats to claim to be green yet cut officer posts that encourage and facilitate cycling. It is accepted that more focus from all officers is desired, but dedicated officers, and all officers focusing on cycling issues, are not mutually exclusive goals."
Chris Havergal: 'Dismay' at plans to cut officers who push cycling. Cambridge News, 18 May 2011

June

Discussing the price of parking and transport, Cllr Wright "said she supported measures which reduce car use but felt it was “outrageous” that funding for buses – a more sustainable alternative – was being axed."
Chris Havergal: Residents 'hostages' to rising parking fees. Cambridge News, 27 June 2011

Cllr Pogonowski said of the conservation area in Romsey Town that "In a time when it is extremely difficult for people to buy houses, it seems bizarre the council wishes to exacerbate this problem. Not only this, but it will prove quite un-green, in that it adds another layer of unnecessary bureaucracy in being able to renovate homes."
Chris Havergal: Area's industrial past is preserved for the future. Cambridge News, 26 June 2011

Action by Cllr Wright has helped lead to the preservation of a mosaic at a former school site on Wadloes Road in Abbey: "What began as a desire from the local community and the head of The Fields to salvage the mosaic has, thanks to the city council’s help, now turned into reality. The next challenge is how to reconstruct and reposition the mosaic, attached to the masonry, somewhere on The Fields site so that it is safe, visible and will not be damaged. The council’s principal surveyor, John Horwood, and his team have done a great job in cutting and dividing the mosaic into pieces small enough to be transported, although each one weighs about a ton."
Mosaic on the move at Ditton Fields Nursery School, Cambridge, The Decorated School Research network, 15 June 2011
Chris Elliott: Piecing together the history of the city mosaic. Cambridge News, 1 July 2011

July

Cllr Pogonowski signed a statement rejecting the views of the English Defence League ahead of their march in Cambridge, which was overshadowed by a much larger and vibrant counter-demonstration: "We reject the views expressed by the EDL and we fully support the right of all Cambridge people to celebrate their cultures, enjoy their places of worship, and be treated with equality and respect." Cllrs Pogonowski and Wright both signed the 'We are Cambridge’ unity statement against the EDL.
Cambridge Labour and Green parties reject EDL views. Cambridge First, 6 July 2011

Cllr Pogonowski questioned the mayor, Cllr Ian Nimmo-Smith, signing a statement against the EDL and sitting on council scrutiny committees because the mayor should be politically neutral and non-partisan: "The current mayor seems to have totally disregarded this convention, and has used his position to condone certain groups in our city saying ‘EDL not welcome’. I don’t disagree with this sentiment, but it isn’t the role of the mayor to be saying things like this. I think he has taken his position too politically and should follow the excellent previous mayor’s lead in not sitting on scrutiny committees or chairing other ones other than full council."
Chris Havergal: Was mayor right to speak out over EDL? Cambridge News, 29 July 2011

Cllr Pogonowski argued against the council making short-term loans to 18 other councils: "If we put the money to public housing we could shorten Cambridge’s extremely long waiting list and get a much better rate of return."
City council loaned more than £40m to other councils this year. Cambridge First. 14 July 2011

Cllr Pogonowski suggested that "the council [c]ould consider Facebook as a consultation tool to greatly increase its transparency and consulting powers."
Hugh Morris: Council could consult on Facebook. Cambridge First, 13 July 2011

Cllr Pogonowski questioned the high cost of repainting the Riverside Railings: "He said a resident had told him that the probation service were looking for repainting projects for those doing “community payback” and would be able to do the work much more cheaply ... Cllr Pogonowski pointed out the community payback work would be of a high quality, including rubbing down the railings and getting rid of the present paint... the quality of work done by those serving community sentences painting railings on Midsummer Common was excellent."
Richard Taylor: Painting the Riverside Railings. 1 July 2011

Cllr Wright said after an arson attack on a boat moored at Riverside that "Ownership of this stretch has been hotly disputed for a very long time, but hopefully we will be able to put an end to it all soon. These documents suggest that the land is historically owned by the city council. Whether or not the boats should be moored here, and the problems they have caused, is a contentious issue, and a clarification on the legal position would be intensely beneficial for all involved."
Arson attack reignites Riverside row over boats. Cambridge News, 12 July 2011

Cllr Wright said of trouble at Mitcham's Corner that "I witnessed three PCSOs attending a disturbance in the centre of Mitcham’s Corner. As a resident who shops locally and cycles using the central well-used route, I have witnessed an escalation over the last few weeks of street drinkers. The group has grown in size. There is begging, some are very drunk and fall on to the cycle path route. The behaviour is often rowdy. In school term time many families use this route. I am asking that Mitcham’s Corner is monitored more closely. It is a well-used public space and small shopkeepers and banks will find that custom falls off if this continues. I sometimes feel I am running the gauntlet when crossing the central area. I must admit to sometimes taking less care than I would normally when crossing the busy roads when I feel threatened and intimidated by heavy drinkers and need to rapidly get away. There is also drug dealing, clearly, in this area."
Raymond Brown: Rowdy drunks are making life misery. Cambridge News, 26 July 2011

Cllr Simon Sedgewick-Jell spoke in favour of funding bus services: "All we think about is our own budget, but we need to be thinking about the global one. We might save a bit of money by cutting a bus service to a village, but what about the police budget when they have to deal with the bored youths who can’t get into town?"
Ruth Norris: Review of bus subsidy cuts hits brick wall. Cambridge News, 21 July 2011

August

Cllr Wright witnessed the aftermath of a man being seriously injured in an attack at Mitcham's Corner in early August. Cllr Wright told Cambridge News that "In spite of warnings it is clear that the situation which appears to have developed around a group of street people had gone out of control. They are able to create havoc in the middle of a busy and thriving local shopping area which has many excellent facilities. Apart from the detrimental effect on trade this might have, they are impeding safe passage of an essential cycle and pedestrian route. Together with other councillors, I am calling for a review to assess the situation and seek long-term solutions."
Raymond Brown: Pleas for action after man is hurt. Cambridge News, 3 August 2011

Cllr Wright took part in a ceremony on Midsummer Common to remember the victims of the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, as well as the victims of this year's tsunami in Japan.
Chris Elliott: Tsunami victims remembered at annual ceremony. Cambridge News, 1 August 2011

Responding to concerns about street drinking, Cllr Pogonowski argued that "A street drinking ban on the whole of the city would be disproportionate and insensitive to the many sensible street drinkers who like to drink by the riverside or with friends in parks. Instead of going down a reactionary ‘law and order’, ‘let’s hang ‘em and flog ‘em’ route, we should be addressing why people are homeless and are having to resort to alcohol, and look for more long-term preventive solutions.”
Chris Havergal: Calls for city-wide outdoor drinks ban. Cambridge News, 20 August 2011

Cllr Pogonowski criticised the council's plan to issue smaller black wheelie bins with gold stars on: "The council is treating people like kids – a sticker isn’t much of an incentive. It will take extra carbon and plastic to create these bins when people could keep current ones and put less in them."
Chris Havergal: A chance to slim your wheelie bin - and get a gold star. Green Living, Cambridge News. 25 August 2011

Peace Groups in Cambridge will be marking Sunday 7th August with an act of remembrance. 

On August 6th. 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on the centre of Hiroshima. Three days later a bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. Some 220,000 people were killed and many more suffere the effects of radiation. 

Nuclear weapons continue to be developed and more states Seek to acquire them.  

As the Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki age and die, it is important that their witness to peace lives on. 

At 8.30pm we will be gatehring on Midsummer common between Fort St. George and Victoria Ave. Bridge.

Lanterns will be lit and a period of silence will be kept.   

At about 9pm floating lanterns will be set on the river. Floating lanterns will be available to decorate and assemble. Please do not bring your own.  

This year we hope that survivors of the Tsunami of March 11th will join us.  

In Peace,  

Maragret Wright

In Abbey, the Greens hope to add to their tally of councillors by taking the final seat from Labour.

In West Chesterton, where the Greens came second last year, and very close to beating the Lib Dem candidate, the crumble in support for the Liberals because of their many betrayals nationally, and local incompetence makes the seat very winnable.

Market Ward, where there is a diverse mix of residents and students, Cambridge Greens have been vocal in supporting both. Cllrs. Wright and Pogonowski on the City Council have spoken out against the axing of many healthy trees on Midsummer Common and against losing money on the Folk Festival. For students, Green Leader Caroline Lucas has visited arguing against the Lib Dem tuition fees sell out.

In many other wards around Cambridge, Greens are electable, and should see increases in their vote shares. Wards such as Romsey, Petersfield and Castle should see gains.

Cambridge Greens have stood up for residents in arguing against the moving of Lion Yard toilets. Your Green Councillors have opposed the axing of Libraries and buses, have arguing against wasting money in Iceland’s banks, and have advocated lowering councillors’ allowances. The only real alternative in Cambridge is the Green Party, with Labour following the same cuts mantra as the Lib Dems and Tories are nationally.

In proposing a free home insulation project for the whole city, Cambridge Greens want to save residents money on their fuel bills, decrease fuel poverty, and reduce carbon emissions in Cambridge drastically. No other party has proposed such a radical and sensible project in the City. The Greens have drive and imagination, and the will to change Cambridge for the better.

For Cambridge Greens, social and environmental justice are linked, and action has been taken to improve both.

The Greens support AV, and urge you to vote YES on May 5th too, for fairer votes, and to foster the cultural change needed to bring about real proportional voting reform, something that the Green Party support.

With more Councillors, and with your help, Cambridge can become a Greener, fairer City. Vote Green on May 5th to bring about positive, and real change.

Free university education, once a Lib Dem policy, disappeared when the Liberals and Conservatives raised fees from £3000 to £9000, after Labour introduced them in their term of office. Having initiated the Browne Review, which paved the way for a rise in fees, the Labour Party probably would have similarly raised fees if they had won the 2010 General Election.

Cambridge Greens have supported motions in Cambridge Council condemning the EMA scrapping, calling for tuition fees to be eradicated, and calling for more participation for younger people in the democratic processes in Cambridge. However, Liberal Democrats nationally have not listened to Green requests to halt the scrapping of EMA and raising of tuition fees, whilst locally, the Lib Dem Council rejected the motion to engage young people in Cambridge with politics better.

Green City Councillor Adam Pogonowski commented:

“Students may be despairing in Cambridge, having been let badly down by Labour for the past 13 years. Then, what they thought of as a decent party, the Lib Dems, have turned their back on them. The Green Party is now the only party standing up for students, wanting better access for students coming to Cambridge and arguing from their corner in Parliament and the Council Chamber in Cambridge.”

Voting Green on May 5th will mean that Greens around Cambridge can win in breakthrough seats, and students are urged to vote for the only real alternative to the Coalition’s cuts programme – the Green Party.

Some of the key policies proposed are:

· Calling for Cambridge to become a unitary authority, in order that Cambridge can control better its education, healthcare and transport budgets;
· To implement neighbourhood Councils within Cambridge, for better, devolved local decision making;
· To call for a living wage for Council employees, and to limit the top pay of Council staff to eight times that of the lowest paid to ensure fairness, and best use of taxpayer money;
· For a reduction in overall councillor allowances, freeing up taxpayer money for more projects throughout the City;
· To increase recycling rates within Cambridge to 70% by 2016;
· To end the culture fostered by the Lib Dems and Labour Parties of not listening to resident needs, and to pay due attention to what residents wishes are;
· To roll out a citywide home insulation project for Cambridge, to reduce carbon emissions, save money for residents on their household bills and to create jobs in implementing the programme.

Councillor Adam Pogonowski said that the manifesto would “ensure that social justice is prioritised in Cambridge.”

He continued:

“The Cambridge Green Party manifesto for the Council elections on May 5th is designed to promote social and environmental justice for Cambridge, whilst also being pragmatic and realistic, whilst making optimal use of taxpayer money. The Lib Dems have not listened to Cambridge’s residents for a long time now, and it is time a real alternative was put forward for the City. The Labour Party have been praised by the Lib Dems in Council meetings for the similarity between their budgets, and how it was good that there was not much disagreement between them. This shows that both parties other than the Greens on the Council are intent on a cuts programme intended to hit the worst off hardest. There is no alternative for Cambridge but the Green Party, and we have been shown to be hardworking and committed to all Cambridge’s residents. Voting Green on May 5th will bring the positive change we all want for Cambridge.”

The Cambridge Green Party manifesto can be located here: Cambridge Green Party 2011 Manifesto

Brett is a teacher at a local sixth form school in Cambridge, and before that has worked in radiography, and as a teacher in Australia.
He is currently the Chair of Cambridge Green Party.

Brett said:

“Labour have badly let our country down, and they are no alternative to the Lib Dem and Tory cuts agenda. They want cuts, just a tiny fraction slower – this is not an alternative. The Greens are opposed to slashing public services that will affect the worst off in Cambridge – including some areas of the Abbey Ward. This is deeply unfair, and I will be joining our current councillors in vocally opposing such ideological policies.

I joined the Greens because I believe in local decision-making, and want to ensure that if I am elected in Abbey, we make more progress towards achieving this - I would certainly work towards ensuring residents had more input into the development of policies. Lib Dems in Cambridge do not listen to residents. This has to stop – as Greens we listen, and argue for local interests – not the interests of big business. We will continue fighting for Abbey’s residents, and pushing through our progressive policies throughout Cambridge.
We already have an energetic team of Green councillors in Cambridge, who have put lots of effort into listening to local residents' views, and fighting hard to ensure that services reach all across our city. If elected in Abbey. I would do the same - and would work hard to provide an effective and positive voice for Abbey’s residents."

Caroline Lucas, Green Party leader and MP for Brighton Pavilion, has tabled a new Tax and Financial Transparency Bill in the House of Commons to tackle the UK's billion-pound tax evasion scandal.

Lucas is launching the Bill after posing a number of Parliamentary Questions to the Chancellor, in which she exposed the fact that HMRC is failing to prevent serious tax evasion which could amount to as much as £16 billion of lost tax.

A report published this week by Tax Research UK reveals that around 500,000 companies "disappeared" from the UK's Register of Companies in the year to March 2010 - with billions being lost to the Exchequer as a result.

The MP believes that urgent measures are needed to stop companies that are formally dissolved from trading fraudulently, thereby undermining honest businesses who do pay their taxes.

Caroline Lucas MP said: "This Bill has two aims. The first is to tackle the scandalous reality that around 500,000 companies every year are not paying tax in the UK - an issue highlighted in the report published by Tax Research UK this week. It estimates that regulatory failures by H M Revenue & Customs and Companies House mean that around 500,000 companies a year fail to pay their tax or file their accounts.

"A great many are simply struck off the Register of Companies as a result, never to be heard of again. Tax Research UK estimate that up to £16 billion of tax a year might be lost to the country as a result.

"This Bill would ensure that banks have to provide details on all accounts they maintain for companies operating in the UK so that H M Revenue & Customs and Companies House can chase those companies who do not file the returns they're obliged to make for the missing information - and the tax they owe. This simple law could recover billions of pounds of lost tax for the UK."

She continued: "Secondly, the bill would force companies to 'publish what tax they pay', requiring all companies filing accounts in the UK to include a statement on the turnover, pre-tax profit, tax charge and actual tax paid for each country in which they operate, without exception.

"If they only trade in the UK, this has no impact on them. This information would, however, mean that the answers to the questions asked of Barclays Bank earlier this year about where it earned its profits, how much profit was recorded in tax havens, and where it paid its taxes could be answered for all companies trading internationally."

Caroline Lucas added: "This information on where companies make their sales, record their profits and pay their taxes is vital if we are to ensure that multinational corporations make a fair and proper contribution to our society.

"Corporate social responsibility is not an option for companies - and paying tax to the country that provides them with their opportunities to trade is an essential part of it. You can't be socially responsible and accountable unless you say where you are and what you do in each place that you trade."

Juniper said:

“I think the fact that nuclear safety is making the headlines again will reinvigorate the discussion over nuclear energy here.

On the one hand nuclear power does generate a lot of electricity, but on the other hand it does produce radiation and is linked to nuclear weapon technology.

There is also the question of jobs, which is important in these economic times. We have to ask what the benefit is of having a small number of high-tech jobs concentrated in one area compared to sustainable energy which can create a lot more jobs.”

Green Party policy is anti-nuclear, for the risks to health, the lack of real disposal of nuclear waste, and the high-expense, low-job creation nature of nuclear energy. The risk of proliferation is also a key reason for the anti-nuclear stance, as well as of course, risk of meltdown should something go wrong.

With Germany and the US closing many reactors in fear of failures because of the systems’ ages, the nuclear debate has been reignited across the world and in the UK.

Green City Councillor Adam Pogonowski, who represents Abbey Ward remarked:

“Nuclear energy is always pedalled as the saving grace for energy generation across the world. Anyone who detracts from this is castigated. However, as Greens, we feel it far more practical, and more cost effective to invest heavily in renewable energy generation, for example, offshore wind farms. We are blessed in the UK to be surrounded by windy seas, and we have more than enough opportunity to move to a system of energy generation that comes from renewables.

Sadly, Lib Dems like Chris Huhne talk Green, yet fail to act. His approval of the oil deal with BP to drill up the Arctic is a prime example. We need politicians with a backbone to stand up to industries like oil and nuclear, and to call for investment in technology that will create millions of jobs. Labour failed in terms of the Green agenda, and Cameron and Clegg are no better. Only the Greens offer that solution.”

Cambridge Green Party remains committed to the idea that cutting your way out of a recession is not the best strategy for recovery. This is why Cambridge Greens believe in protecting jobs, in order to not punish some of the hardest working in Cambridge, because of the financial mismanagement of the previous Labour Government, and because of the banking crisis.

The policies undertaken by Conservatives and their Liberal Democrat partners are causing hardship to hundreds of thousands around the UK, and many people are losing jobs as a result of the savage spending cuts.

In Cambridge, job losses have been seen in Cambridge City Council, and Cambridgeshire County Council, and these have been some of the hardworking people that deliver vital frontline services to Cambridge’s residents.

In a meeting of the Environment Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Pogonowski, Green City Councillor for Abbey Ward, questioned whether a Lib Dem proposal to save £150,000 on making bin collections more efficient through better routing, would mean that lots of the ‘savings’ were made up for in staffing cuts instead.

He said:

“Whilst optimising the routing of collection vehicles is a good idea, to save money in repairs and fuel, jobs must be protected. If the proposed software that the Lib Dems have introduced cannot make efficiency savings that equate to 150,000 pounds from making routes more efficient, I fear that jobs of those most needing them will be on the line.

I voted against this proposal, because of the potentially hard-hitting implications for staff who do a crucial job in maintaining the cleanliness of our streets, and in waste disposal. If the Lib Dem proposals mean lots of job losses, then I cannot support their idea. We are in economic times where jobs are much needed, and with unemployment counts rapidly rising, the country could easily be led into a double-dip recession”.

The Green Party would be creating a million jobs in a renewable energy drive, whilst maintaining important public services. In Cambridge, the Green Group on the City Council proposed in February to create jobs in a home insulation program for Cambridge, which would see residents’ homes insulated free of charge.

Protecting the most vulnerable in Cambridge is one of the top priorities for Cambridge Greens, and their work will continue as strong as ever to achieve this.

Cambridge Green Party is pleased to announce Alex Collis, as candidate for the City Council elections on May 5th, for Market Ward.

Alex is 36, and has lived in Cambridge since 1996. She has a 15-year-old son studying for his GCSEs at Parkside School.

Alex has worked at Anglia Ruskin University for the past five years, as a researcher and part-time lecturer in the Family and Community Studies Department. Before that, Alex worked as a mental health care assistant with dementia patients.

Alex is a supporter of Cambridgeshire Against the Cuts and is an active member of the Howard League for Penal Reform.

Alex said:

“I joined the Green Party six years ago after leaving the Labour Party, in protest at the government’s handling of the Iraq War. Labour badly let down the voters who put their trust in them, and failed to protect some of the most vulnerable people in society. The party's gradual shift to the right, which remains today, has left the Greens as the only truly progressive, fair and engaging alternative. They are the only real opposition in Cambridge.'

I joined the Greens because I believe in local decision-making, and want to ensure that if I am elected in Market, we make more progress towards achieving this - I would certainly work towards ensuring residents had more input into the development of policies. Most recently, the way in which Lib Dem councillors ignored the wishes of Market residents over the issue of the trees on Midsummer Common, was particularly upsetting. Local politics should be about consulting and involving communities - not about alienating and ignoring them.

We already have an energetic team of Green councillors in Cambridge, who have put lots of effort into listening to local residents' views, and fighting hard to ensure that services reach all across our city. If electexd in Market, I would do the same - and would work hard to provide an effective and positive voice for Market?s residents."

Greens Against Bus Cuts

Cambridge Greens have declared their opposition to County Council proposed bus route closures.

Many routes are affected, including the Citi 5 and up to 20 others. This will isolate those living in villages surrounding Cambridge, and will lead to increased car use, just when the country needs to promote the increased use of public transport.

With the Lib Dems and Tories cutting many public services and facilities, and whilst the country still suffers from the economic mismanagement of the Labour Party, many people on low incomes are suffering from the ideological cuts programme the three grey parties advocate. Bus services are vital, and link communities, families and areas of Cambridge together. Without them, the marginalised will become even more so.

Cambridge Green City Councillor, Adam Pogonowski, commented:

“This is a depressing programme of cuts to bus routes. How will the elderly and worst off be able to get into and around Cambridge if we take their only means of transport from them? This is a badly thought through proposal by the Tory County Council.

It is out of order for Liberal Democrat councillors be criticising this move however, because it is their party in national government that is forcing such massive cuts upon local councils. The Lib Dems are incredibly hypocritical over this matter.”

The City Centre Shuttle bus is also being axed, a service used for the elderly to transport heavy shopping around the City Centre. Cambridge Greens wish to see this service retained too, with its route optimised, to include more locations around the centre of Cambridge as stops, to pick up more people and to allow the service to operate at full capacity. 

The community facility, in need of renovation, has been awarded £80,000 from East Area Committee, with a potential further £80,000 to come, but this falls short of the money required to rebuild the scout hut from scratch, a position that is considered to be the best for the future of the facility. Abbey’s Green councillors had called for, in 2010, money to be allocated to the Stanesfield Road hut, in order to provide a quality community facility for young people in Abbey. This request was successfully met at East Area Committee.

The working group, consisting of Abbey councillors, scout hut volunteers and other local community figures, will work out the best course of action to be adopted in finding funding to enable a full rebuild of the scout hut, on the current location.

Green Councillor, Adam Pogonowski said:

“Abbey’s scout hut is a vital facility, and its location, with its large amount of land, really important for Abbey. I’d like to see the hut remain where it is, rebuilt and free from asbestos, with top quality facilities for Abbey’s communities. Abbey’s councillors will be working hard to ensure this project is fully carried out, so that a good venue remains situated in Abbey Ward.”

Stephen Lintott is 55, and a resident of Cambridge. He grew up initially in London, and is the son of a scaffolder and a bank clerk. He lives in Cambridge with his wife, Gill and is the father to two daughters.

Stephen has had a long career working in mental health in various roles, for over 26 years. Stephen is also a Unison Rep, and Treasurer of Cambridgeshire Against the Cuts, a volunteer with the Alzheimer’s Society and Coordinator for Cambridge Green Party.

Stephen said:

“I joined the Green Party because it fits with my beliefs in social justice, diversity, that decisions are taken at the closest practical level to those affected by them, and a sustainable environment and economy.

Cambridge’s Green councillors have been doing an excellent job, and have inspired many people in Cambridge, and I wish to join our energetic Greens, to promote the interests of residents in West Chesterton and to continue the progressive and dedicated work already being undertaken.

If I am elected on May 5^th, I will work hard to challenge the Lib Dem majority on the City Council, to ensure that residents have policies made in their interests, and to push for proper devolved decision making in Cambridge. Making Cambridge green and promoting excellent Green Party initiatives will only happen if Greens continue to be elected in Cambridge. The Lib Dems are untrustworthy, and Labour and Tory are tired and old parties, with the same right-wing policies. The Greens are the only distinct voice in Cambridge, and this is why I am standing for them, and fighting for residents in our city.”

Cantrill told a full audience meeting at St Lukes Church on Victoria Road that he was ‘responding to residents’ concerns’, but when pressed on the issue as to whether he’d categorically protect the trees from destruction, Cllr. Cantrill would not commit.

Stephen Lintott, Green Candidate for West Chesterton in May’s Council elections, who was present at the meeting said:

“Residents around the Alexandra Gardens area wanted something more definite from Cllr. Cantrill in terms of guaranteeing protection for the trees. I feel this is something he did not do. The Lib Dems on the City Council have to be stronger in standing up to the insurance industry, and not allow the council to be pushed around by unscrupulous brokers. The situation we have over Alexandra Gardens could have been avoided with a more robust approach in dealing with the situation.”

Green City Councillor Adam Pogonowski, also present at the meeting, asked whether the new expert would be truly independent:

“Cllr. Cantrill assured me publicly that the expert to be appointed will be independent, but this remains to be seen. More importantly is the timing of this decision. There are important council elections coming up, and in West Chesterton, the Green Party could beat the Lib Dems, and the decision to delay the tree works process could be a way of currying favour with voters. We think this is not fair on residents, and will only drag this process out further. The Green Party will stand up to insurers pursuing dodgy claims, so voting Green is a better way forward for local residents concerned with the Lib Dem tree-felling proposals.”

A consultation on a new tree protocol is to be undertaken by the Council, after pressure from opposition councillors in Cambridge. If you would like to respond to the consultation, and send a copy of your response to Cambridge's Green Party councillors, please email Adam Pogonowski on aepogonowski@gmail.com

The campaign, organised by Animal Rights Cambridge, wishes to see an end to the worldwide fur trade, which involves brutal slaughter and farming methods. Animals can be subjected to electrocution, gassing and skinning alive, in order to satisfy demands by humans for their fur.

A petition will be presented to the Council in March, calling for Cambridge to set an example and ban all fur sales from Cambridge market.

Councillor Pogonowski commented:

“I strongly support this campaign. The trade in fur is a cruel process, especially in relation to the conditions the animals are kept in and how they are slaughtered. The Green Party supports the outlawing of this practice. There are many more ethically sound alternatives to the wearing of real fur. Cambridge City Council should be leading in this field, and banning the trading of fur on the market place would be an opportune starting place.”

Lucas explained how Labour had sold out in its 13 years of rule, entering illegal wars, breaking tuition fees promises, and failing to regulate the banking sector. The Green Party MP argued that Labour councils across the country were setting harsh cuts-budgets, and reminded the audience that it was former Labour Chancellor, Alistair Darling who called for cuts that were “harder and deeper than Thatcher”. 

She told Cambridge residents that the Green Party in Cambridge has seen a huge increase in membership during the last few months, down in part because of the Party’s progressive policies, but also because of a large swing from many disaffected Lib Dems. She said that the Lib Dems had ‘shockingly betrayed voters’, and that because of this politicians were even harder to trust. Backtracking on tuition fees, EMA, threatening to sell off the forests and increasing VAT, were massive betrayals of voters’ confidences.

However, the Green Party stands firm on its opposition to cuts, and seeks fair ways forward for the city’s and country’s citizens. Proper taxes on bankers’ bonuses, creating a million new jobs in low-carbon industries, and saving public services by scrapping wasteful projects, such as Trident are what the Greens are about.

Caroline reminded the audience that Greens can win in Cambridge – that Lib Dem seats in West Chesterton and Market were under serious threat from the Greens, and that Labour’s final seat in Abbey is also under threat. She said:

“Voting Green in Cambridge is a must, in order to give effect to residents’ wishes. The Green Party is about fairness and progressive policies, designed to include all residents from all backgrounds. We have proven the only Party consistent in our anti-cuts approach, and are the only credible opposition in Cambridge, and in the UK”.

City Councillor Adam Pogonowski, who chaired the meeting said:

“Caroline’s visit is a real boost for the Cambridge Greens. Our City is a very Green city, and Caroline coming here shows that we have an excellent chance in this year’s City Council elections. We can win in many wards citywide, and our popularity is higher than ever. We can see from the budget process, that Labour in Cambridge is just as unimaginative, and cuts-orientated as the Lib Dems, and this is no alternative for residents. The Green Party is that alternative.”