After a six-year long campaign for 20 mph speed limits in residential areas in Reading, newly elected Green Councillor Rob White is delighted that growing public support has finally forced progress on Reading Borough Council.

As Councillor White, in collaboration with other councillors, was drafting a motion to council, news comes that the Conservatives will be announcing an investigation into 20 mph speed limits across the town.

A delighted Councillor White said: “This is a subject very close to my heart. I presented a petition to the council about this way back before I was elected. The strange thing is how quickly the Conservatives have managed a U-turn on this. I remember the parliamentary hustings in Reading East earlier this year. The Labour and LibDem candidates joined me in supporting 20 mph speed limits, but the Conservative representative failed to support such a scheme”.

Now that the Conservatives have recognised the potential benefits, a report will be going to the Traffic Management Advisory Panel in September calling for a more detailed investigation into a scheme.

Councillor Rob White added: "Streets should be for people. 20 mph speed limits have been shown to calm traffic down, creating safer roads, which are more pleasant to live on. This will also help create a better environment for pedestrians and cyclists.

"This truly is an idea whose time has come. Progress was slow under the previous administration but I am pleased to see the local Coalition now taking this idea seriously."

For more information please contact Rob White on 07985 923938 or 0118 9667183.

Rob White was elected in Park Ward as Reading and Berkshire's first unitary authority Green Party councillor in May 2010.

The Green Group on the City Council are demanding a review of top salaries given to the most senior local Council Officers after it was revealed in a recent Government and Audit report that the massive increases given last year will cost the City Council nearly £200,000 extra to fund the new pay rises and pension contributions of the most senior officers.

Now over 11 officers will be paid more than £74,000 per year with the Chief Executive paid over £141,000.00, a figure between 10% and 35% more than other Chief Executives in neighbouring District authorities.
The extra pay awards which were between 11% and 34% extra in one year mean that the senior officers are in the top 1% pay scales for District Local Authorities in the UK and that the Chief Executive is paid just less than the Prime Minister.

Green Group leader, Cllr David Williams said that at a time of local government austerity, recession and unemployment the rises were unjustified. The Green motion to Council speaks of the pessimistic new restrictions introduced as a result of the budget on the 22nd of June and seeks a review of the most senior officers salaries in view of the massive cuts in local government monies that have been announced.

We now have a pay freeze for all local Government workers and we will be expected to reduce the spending of local Government by 25% over the next 3 years. This will mean that a dramatically reduced service with fewer staff to manage and a reduced range of services to organise, said David. ‘We can’t have very senior staff being paid vast amounts more to do a lot less’.

The option of putting up the rates and letting local people pay the extra will not be there as the new Government are to introduce a cap on rate rises. David says ‘ there has to be a balance in all this and we need to get real …we are suggesting that the very senior salaries are returned to the levels we had in 2008. This will reflect more fairly the range of services these very senior staff will manage in the future after the draconian cuts have been implemented.

Salute for one of our great human rights heroes

The Green Party is celebrating an Honorary Doctorate being conferred on Peter Tatchell for his services to human rights.

On Friday, 23 July 2010, Peter Tatchell received an Hon D.Litt (Sussex) from University Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar.

Green Party Leader and Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion Caroline Lucas commented:  "We are incredibly proud of the work which Peter continues to bring in human rights and that he is a member of the Green Party.

"Whether it is his advocacy on behalf of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans) asylum seekers or his ongoing campaign for gay marriage; we are thrilled that the staff and students of the University of Sussex have decided to thank him in this way.

"Peter is truly one of our greatest heroes."

Brighton Green Councillor Amy Kennedy, Alumna of Sussex University and a serving Green Party councillor in Brighton said, "Peter brings invaluable work to often overlooked areas of human rights: the citizens of our city, our country and our world are indebted to him for his work.

"We celebrate with him for an award which I am proud to say has come from my alma mater."

Phelim Mac Cafferty, National Chair of LGBT Greens said: "This Honorary Doctorate recognises Peter's ongoing, tireless work of over four decades.

"It is apt in the same year in which we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Gay Liberation Front that Peter receives this award - whether its his staunch defence of the rights of LGBT people abroad or his ongoing investigative work to deliver fairness on our own shores - his work continues to inspire all of us to fight for a better world."

Commenting on his Honorary Doctorate, Mr Tatchell said: "I was hesitant about accepting this honour.

After all, my contribution to human rights is very modest.

"I am a long way from being a brave and effective campaigner. Many others are much more deserving than me.

"I would never agree to a royal honour but this award is different.

"My decision to accept was partly because the initiative for this honorary doctorate was a grassroots one, from the staff and students. I am honoured by their recognition of my human rights work.

"I accept this award in solidarity with the many heroic, inspirational activists who I support in countries like Uganda, Somaliland, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Baluchistan, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Western Sahara, Iraq, Palestine and West Papua.

"The message I will deliver in my acceptance speech is this: Be sceptical, question authority, be a rebel.

"All human progress is the result of far-sighted people challenging orthodoxy, tradition and powerful, vested interests.

"Don't accept the world as it is. Dream about what the world could be - then help make it happen.

"In whatever field of endeavour you work, be a change-maker for the upliftment of humanity.

"I do my bit for social justice, but so do many others.

"Together, through our collective efforts, we are helping make a better world - a world more just and free.

"My key political inspirations are Mohandas Gandhi, Sylvia Pankhurst, Martin Luther King and, to some extent, Malcolm X.

"I've adapted many of their ideas and methods to the contemporary struggle for human rights - and invented a few of my own.

"I began campaigning in my home town of Melbourne , Australia , in 1967, aged 15.

"My first campaign was against the death penalty, followed by campaigns in support of Aboriginal rights and in opposition to conscription and the Australian and US war against the people of Vietnam .

"In 1969, on realising that I was gay, the struggle for queer freedom became an increasing focus of my activism.

"After moving to London in 1971, I became an activist in the Gay Liberation Front, organising sit-ins at pubs that refused to serve 'poofs', and protests against police harassment and the medical classification of homosexuality as an illness.

"I was roughed up and evicted when I disrupted Professor Hans Eysenck's 1972 lecture which advocated electric shock aversion therapy to 'cure' homosexuality.

"The following year, in East Berlin, I was arrested and interrogated by the secret police - the Stasi - after staging the first gay rights protest in a communist country," said Peter Tatchell.

Notes

For more information please contact Brighton and Hove Green Party office on 01273 766 670.

Under EU rules, Keith Taylor - the Green Party's next candidate on its European List for the South-East region - takes Caroline Lucas's place in the European Parliament following her historic election to Westminster (1).

A former businessman from Sussex, Keith was a leading Green Party councillor for 11 years - and a Principal Speaker for the party between 2004 and 2006. Well known for his work on workers' rights, environmental justice and regional economic strategy, Keith also worked for Caroline Lucas for five years as a Regional Liaison Officer.

In his new role serving the South East, Keith will sit on the Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN), the Committee on International Trade (INTA) and the Committee on Petitions (PETI). He will also become a full member of the Parliamentary delegation to Afghanistan, and a substitute member of the Iran and Palestine delegations.

Keith Taylor MEP said:

"I've spent the last 11 happy and fulfilling years as a city councillor in Brighton & Hove, striving for improvements in the everyday quality of life for local people. Now I'm taking all I've learnt to Europe in order to serve the whole of the South East - and I'll work tirelessly to achieve the best results.

"It is my aim to deliver inclusive politics based on hope, around a positive vision of building a just and sustainable world. I want to bring the work of the European Parliament closer to my constituents, and listen carefully to their concerns about the future of our region.

"I'm looking forward to building on the fantastic work done by my predecessor, Caroline Lucas - and would like to wish her the very best of luck as she begins her historic term as the first Green MP at Westminster."

Caroline Lucas MP, who served in the European Parliament for over ten years, said:

"Keith is an outstanding politician, a highly respected party member, and a good friend. He has served the people of Brighton & Hove with passion and commitment for many years and will bring a wealth of experience to his new role in the European Parliament.

"I have no doubt that Keith will prove to be an excellent MEP for the South East region, and I wish him every success for the future."

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(1) The European Parliament took note of Caroline Lucas' election as MP on 18 May 2010. Caroline was a list candidate for the Green Party, and in view of this, her seat is filled in accordance with regulations 82-85 of the European Parliamentary Elections Regulations 2004 by Keith Taylor.

The letter in full, first published today in The Guardian:

We write to express our deep shock and horror at the unjustified atrocities perpetrated by the Israeli authorities in boarding an aid flotilla headed for Gaza and opening fire, killing innocent people. The Green party of England and Wales strongly denounces such actions.
This attack is a serious infringement of the principles of international law. The Green party calls on the UK government, and the EU, to apply pressure to lift the ongoing blockade of Gaza, which makes essential humanitarian aid virtually impossible to deliver. We also call for the quick establishment of an international inquiry to shed light on the circumstances of this attack.
We urge the British government to condemn Israel for its actions. The international community, for too long taking a hands-off approach to Israel's actions, must act decisively in taking diplomatic sanctions in the light of this incident. Britain's ambassador to Israel must be recalled as part of this process. Countries should not be able to ride roughshod over international law with impunity.
Caroline Lucas MP Green, Brighton Pavilion, Keith Taylor MEP Green, South East England, Cllr Adam Pogonowski Green, Cambridge, Cllr Rupert Read Green, Norwich

Call for Urgent Inquiry

The Green Party Leader, Caroline Lucas MP, has called on the Government to condemn the actions of the Israeli troops in firing on a ship carrying volunteers and medical supplies to Gaza, and to back an urgent inquiry into the incident.

In a strongly worded message to Foreign Secretary William Hague, she has demanded that he urgently contact the Israeli authorities to demand an end to the attacks, and that he ensure that Israel is held fully to acount for an illegal and unprovoked attack.

Speaking on the morning of 31st May, she said:

"I completely condemn this deadly attack on the humanitarian aid convoy. I am deeply shocked by the brutality of the assault, which has left a still unkown number of people dead and wounded. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.

"This attack is a serious infringement of the principles of international law. The Green Party calls on the UK Government, and the EU, to apply pressure to lift the ongoing blockade of Gaza, which makes essential humanitarian aid for the population of Gaza virtually impossible to deliver. We also call for the quick establishment of an international inquiry to shed light on the circumstances of this attack."

For more information contact South East press officer Cllr Jason Kitcat on 07956 886 508. 

Greens in the South East region are celebrating breakthroughs onto two new local authorities in the area.

 In Reading Rob White has won in Park Ward, becoming the first Green councillor in Berkshire. Rob narrowly missed election two years ago, but this year Rob polled 1,845 votes ahead of Labour's Richard McKenzie with 1,275.

After the result was declared Rob said "We will carry on campaigning on our election priorities of: more decent affordable housing, tackling crime and antisocial behaviour and better public transport walking and cycling facilities. And I will stick to my values of fairness, integrity and the environment." 

In Redhill East ward of Reigate & Banstead borough council, Jonathan Essex polled 1,882 votes ahead of the second placed candidate, the Conservatives' Rois Amiah on 1,398. Second Green candidate Sarah Finch narrowly missed election in the same ward, finishing in fourth place after a re-count.

Commenting on his victory Jonathan said "Today the hard work begins to bring the real change to Redhill that the voters have overwhelming voted for."

'Get Reading' report on Rob's win

Reading Green party on Rob's win

'Surrey Advertiser' report on Jonathan's win

Surrey Green party on Jonathan's win

 
The three Green candidates Sarah Finch, Jonathan Essex and Alistair Laban, after Jonathan's win

Caroline Lucas has won the Brighton Pavilion seat with an 8.5% swing from Labour to Green.

The election of the first ever Green to Parliament represents a historic moment.

Hundreds of thousands of Green voters across the country now have, for the first time, a voice in Parliament, and genuinely progressive views on issues such as the economy, health, and the environment will now be heard.

Elsewhere Greens won their first council seats in Reading and Reigate & Banstead. Rob White won in Park Ward in Reading and Jonathan Essex topped the Redhill East Ward of Reigate & Banstead borough council.

After the result was declared in Brighton Pavilion, Caroline Lucas MP said: "The emphatic support of voters in Brighton Pavilion show that they do want to support a party whose values represent fairness, social justice and environmental well-being.

"They have shown that they are prepared to put their trust in the Greens, despite the overwhelming national media focus on the three largest parties and a voting system that is fundamentally undemocratic.

Humbled by voters' trust

"I feel humbled by their trust in me, and I am excited by this vote of confidence and I'm looking forward to the challenging task of fully representing the voters of Brighton.

"This victory is no accident: it is the result of the hard work and commitment of thousands of Green Party members and supporters not only in Brighton but from right across the country over the past months and years. It is their work and support that has helped deliver this win, and the victory is as much theirs as it is mine.

"Thanks to the confidence that the voters of Brighton Pavilion have shown, Green principles and policies will now have a voice in Parliament.

"Policies such as responding to climate change with a million new ‘green' jobs in low-carbon industries, fair pensions and care for older people, and stronger regulation of the banks will be heard in the House of Commons.

"I will also use my influence as an MP in the city of Brighton & Hove to push for affordable housing for the city, a new secondary school for the city, and greater backing for the city's creative industries.

"Finally, as the overall result of this election shows, the first-past-the post voting system used for general elections is utterly discredited.

"I will be strongly backing calls for a referendum to replace it with a form of proportional representation that properly reflects the needs and views of 21st century voters.

"If a form of proportional representation is introduced, the Green Party is confident that its true level of support nationally can be represented properly."

The other city candidates Ben Duncan (Brihgton Kemptown) and Ian Davey (Hove) saved their deposits.

For more information please contact the Brighton and Hove Green Party office on 01273 766 670.

Name Party Votes % +/-

GREEN GAIN FROM LABOUR
CAROLINE LUCAS Green 16,238 31.3% +9.4
Nancy Platts Labour 14,986 28.9% -7.5
Charlotte Vere Conservative 12,275 23.7% +0.4
Bernadette Millam Liberal Democrat 7,159 13.8% -2.2
Nigel Carter UK Independence Party 948 1.8% +0.6
Ian Fyvie Socialist Labour Party 148 0.3% -0.1
Soraya Kara Citizens for Undead Rights and Equality 61% 0.1 +0.1
Leo Atreides Independent 19 0.0% +0.0
Majority 1,252 2.4

Caroline Lucas, Leader of the Green Party and Parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion, will be on the bus to appeal directly to voters to back her at the polls on 6 May, in what has become in Brighton Pavilion a two-horse race between the Green Party and the Conservatives.

Caroline Lucas said: "We're feeling confident going into this final weekend before the election, as all the feedback we're getting on the doorstep is showing that the momentum is with us.

"We've seen no evidence of the Clegg-effect here in Brighton where the Green Party are seen as the party of change.

"The bookies have us as clear favourites to win in Brighton Pavilion, but I'm not taking that for granted.

"We'll need every vote and we encourage people to come down and visit us on the Bus this weekend."

The converted Routemaster ‘Battle Bus', which is powered with recycled vegetable oil, will be on the promenade at the old paddling pool site (just east of West Pier) from 11am until 6pm on Sunday 2 and Monday 3 May. It will also be touring the constituency on the day of the election Thursday May 6th.

For more information please contact the Brighton and Hove Green Party office on 01273 766670.

Caroline told journalists at the Brighton Metropole hotel: "This is an exciting time - we are on the brink of getting our first MP elected here in Brighton.

"People are crying out for real change, as the other parties become increasingly alike.

"Our key messages are those on the environment, on the economy and on fairness.

"We believe that the choice between safeguarding the environment or the economy is a false one - if you want to see how 'green' a party is, look at its economic policies."

The fully costed Manifesto [276KB PDF] has economic and environmental justice at its heart.

The Green Party leader called for practical policies such as the creation of ‘green' jobs in the face of the recession.

Caroline continued: "We are the strong contenders, ahead in the polls in Brighton and if you want to vote for a real and different voice, then you can afford to vote for the real thing this election.

"There is a real appetite for the values of the Green Party at the moment.

"In Brighton, when I'm speaking to people they have a real sense of homecoming.

"Disaffected voters are happy to see their values not only represented but also championed by an electable candidate.

"These are tremendously exciting times for the Green Party, who are standing on the verge of a Westminster breakthrough. In Brighton Pavilion, the odds are on for us to win.

"With all the other parties looking increasingly alike, we are the only party facing up to the economic and social challenges we face."

"We are calling for a major change, for social and economic justice that would see 87 per cent of the population significantly better off.

"Now is the time for radical tax reform, with those on higher incomes paying more, and those on lower incomes better off. For example, we have pledged to provide a citizens pension of £170 per week. At the moment, a quarter of pensioners are living in poverty.

"Thirteen years ago Labour promised to link pensions to earnings - and we're still waiting."

A living wage, higher income tax for the well off, and support for small businesses

Caroline Lucas continued: "We would bring in a national minimum wage of £8.10 an hour, and reduce corporation tax to make it easier for small businesses to thrive. But this is not fantasy politics - our manifesto is fully costed.

"We would pay for it by, for example, scrapping Trident which would bring in around £80 billion. We would cut the £30 billion to be spent on road building, and use the money to invest in public transport. We would raise income tax for those earning over £100,000 a year - that is just 2 per cent of the population - to fifty per cent.

"We support a Robin Hood tax. And we would ensure a permanent tax on bankers bonuses.

"Under Labour society is less equal that is has ever been since the Second World War - a damning indictment of the Government. In less equal societies, there is more violence, more crime, more health problems.

"It is in the benefit of all that we get society back on its feet, and make it more equal for the good of all."

No more PFI hospitals – and keep schools, post offices and surgeries local

Darren Johnson, who is the candidate for Lewisham Deptford constituency and who chaired the launch event, said: "This is the first time we go into a general election with the real prospect of winning our first Westminster seats.

"In Brighton Pavilion, where Caroline is standing, she is the first ever candidate in that constituency to be odds-on favourite with the bookies, as the seat is usually so marginal. We are fielding more candidates than ever before, currently 328, with a full slate in London."

Mr Johnson said the "fully costed manifesto... would see the creation of one million new jobs and investment in public services to avoid a 'double-dip' recession."

For more information please call the Brighton and Hove Green Party office on 01273 766 670.

'Shaping the Future of Care Together' - a government Green Paper laying out future options for the funding and organisation of the social care system - has kick started a national discussion on reform of the system. This discussion is called the Big Care Debate.

The Big Care Debate ends on November 13. As well as paper questionnaires, you can answer the questions online.

After the event, Green Party, Reading East Parliamentary candidate Rob White said: "Across the country, people from all walks of life turn to our care and support system when ill health of some kind means they need help managing their day to day lives.

"Here in Reading, more than 4500 people claimed disability living allowance last year. But for too long, social care has been the most neglected service of the public sector."

"Years of under investment combined with an ageing society means the system is now at breaking point. Making sure we can provide quality care for those in need is a matter of political will and priority."

"A service this important cannot be made to fit in with 'shrink to fit' economic policies"

"Greens believe the state should provide free social care for all who need it. Fair is worth fighting for."

ENDS

Notes for the Editor

1. For more information please contact Rob White on 07985 923938 or 0118 9667183.
2. Green Park Ward candidate Rob White polled 994, and came within 20 votes of becoming Reading's first Green councillor at the last local elections in Reading. At the last general election he stood in Reading East and increased the Green vote by over 50% polling 1548.
3. For more information on the Green Paper, please see:
http://careandsupport.direct.gov.uk/greenpaper/the-green-paper-and-supporting-documents/
4. 4560 people in Reading claimed DLA alone in the year ending August 2008.
5. The online questionnaire can be found here:
http://careandsupport.direct.gov.uk/questionnaire/

"We now need to crack on and follow successes in other areas of the country."

"As a local authority, Portsmouth has led the way in 20 mph zones. Since Portsmouth brought in their 20 mph zones in 2008, accidents are down by 13%. Casualties are down by 15% (and by an amazing 31% for older people)."

Caroline recently visited Patcham Junior School to gather signatures for a petition calling for a speeding crackdown.

Lucas has also, within the last few months, talked with residents on the Pankhurst Estate, St Nicholas's Road and Surrenden Road about 20 mph zones.

- A 20 mph limit would get people walking and cycling more
- Traffic would move at a more consistent pace (improving traffic flow and reducing emissions)
- Most importantly, if a pedestrian is struck at 20mph, their survival rate is improved by 95% (compared to being hit at 35mph).

Lucas concluded by saying that: "The success of Portsmouth has been based on effective promotion and marketing of the change, full and comprehensive community engagement, enforcement, and education days run by the police"

"We can replicate that here in Brighton and Hove and have safer roads across the city."
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For more information, please contact Brighton and Hove Green Party office on 01273 766 670.

1) Please see: 20's Plenty for Us - www.20splentyforus.org.uk

2) To find an online petition for 20's Plenty In Brighton, see: www.gopetition.co.uk/online/31175.html

3) Among others, Green Party councillors in Norwich, Leicester, Hackney, Islington, and Bristol have pushed for 20 mph zones in their local areas. For more information on this, please see: www.greenparty.org.uk/news/20-04-2009-20mph-zones.html

"Our Government says we need more new homes in Kent and Medway. But over 19,600 home were empty according to the 2008 figures(1), and numbers have risen in the recession. There are over 1000 homes in Medway alone which have been empty for more than 6 months (2). The Government says there were 784,000 empty properties in England alone in 2008(3): Shelter says the current figure for the UK is about 1 million whilst Building societies allege there is a shortage of property for sale nationally"

"Despite efforts by the Kent Empty Homes Initiative and the No Use Empty website that tries to bring commercial properties into use, there is still a general failure to make use of our existing built environment to meet housing needs. The construction jobs which could be sustained over a period of years putting Kent and Medway's empty properties into use would doubtless be considerable. And so is the lack of imagination on the part of our Government, that insists on targets for new homes in Kent and Medway."

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FURTHER INFORMATION: Steve Dawe on 01732 355185 or 07747 036192. Contact address as above.

For monthly ezine KENT GREEN NEWS, subscribe through website at www.kentgreenparty.org

Notes:
1. http://www.emptyhomes.com/usefulinformation/stats/se08.htm
2. http://www.medway.gov.uk/index/housing/privatesectorhousing/73545.htm
3. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2009-10-15a.292814.h&s=empty+dwelling

To put the towns' local shopping areas on the road to recovery, the Reading Green Party is prescribing five anti-recession remedies; Councils should aim to keep shopping parades attractive for local shoppers and combat the dereliction that might otherwise arise in a recession.

1.) The Council should work with commercial landlords to promote a short-term tenancy scheme for vacant shops to prevent high streets turning into ghost towns and keep community spirit alive. The Council should also be given new powers to penalise landlords who leave shop premises empty for more than three months.

2.) The Council should back the grassroots "slack space" movement which aims to provide temporary community and cultural uses, such as swap shops, debt counselling advice and art and music spaces -- such as the Art Windows scheme being run by Jelly.

3.) The Council should be given new powers to decide what post office provision is needed in their borough. By keeping post office open the boroughs will encourage local residents onto shopping streets and will reduce post office queuing at the same time.

4.) The council should lobby the government to issue automatic business rate relief for all small businesses that are eligible. Over half of businesses entitled to rates relief do not claim it, despite government already knowing which businesses could claim.

"Some of Reading's local shopping streets are in danger of being wiped out by the recession" said Reading West Green Parliamentary candidate Adrian Windisch.

"Empty shops are creating ghost towns that can become hotspots for crime and anti-social behaviour. The Council urgently needs to draw up a rescue plan for local shopping streets, before our local shops are gone forever".

Adrian continued: "Small businesses are under pressure as never before. Huge supermarkets destroy local shops and exploit the smaller companies that supply them. Big companies pay late and poach workers from small firms. Yet it is not small businesses that cause the most pollution, waste the most resources and exploit their workers; they serve largely local markets and strengthen local economies and communities."

Notes for the Editor

1. For more information please contact Adrian Windisch on 0118 9567190 or 07802 671606
2. The survey by Local data is reported the Times
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/retailing/article6891258.ece#
3. On 28th February 2009 the Local Government Association announced that it had sent out a survey to all local authority leaders on the impact of empty shops in town centres.
4. 85% of the council responses received nationally claimed to have seen an increase in the number of empty shops in town centres.
5. In May 2006 a Federation of Small Businesses' survey found that only 49% of eligible businesses were claiming Business Rate Relief.

Brighton Greens collected signatures on a petition which calls on First Capital Connect to end the train chaos caused by a pay dispute between the company and the train drivers' union ASLEF.

The petition also calls for Government to step in and provide a long term solution by renationalising the rail services.

Thursday's cancellations caused significant disruption to people's working and personal lives, and wreaked havoc on Brighton and Hove's economy.

Greens collected signatures from 16.00 till 18.00, and were joined by Caroline as she returned from an important vote in the European Parliament.

However, her own journey was disrupted as Caroline usually travels to her Brighton base by First Capital Connect train.

On the strike, Caroline said "This is symptomatic of a privatised rail network, where in order to cut costs and boost profits the drivers are expected to work overtime.

"The chaos goes to highlight the consequences of this. The Greens believe in nationalising the railways and trains, providing better value for money and a more efficient service passengers".

This sentiment was echoed by Councillor Ian Davey, the Brighton Green group spokesperson for transport, and parliamentary candidate for Hove, who said "The Government should be providing a realistic alternative to cars for those who want to change the way they travel.

"At the moment, our train services are unreliable and expensive."

Green Party research has revealed that Britain has some of the highest train fares in Europe.

The party has called for a £3bn investment which would cut train prices by a third, meaning the cost of a monthly commuter ticket from Brighton to London would be cut by over £110.

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For more information please contact the Brighton and Hove Green Party office on 01273 766 670.

Nick commutes from Palmer Park Avenue in Reading to Camden every day. He catches the train from Reading to Paddington and cycles to his destination.

Nick has written to Network Rail twice about this not had any response. He has also contacted Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Reading East Rob White.

Commuter Nick Short said: "I wrote to Network Rail regarding the poor condition of the bicycle racks at Paddington Station and the fact that my bike had just been badly damaged. I have still not received a reply to that letter.

"Unfortunately, when I collected my bike this morning the same thing had happened. My bike had been rammed up against a barrier by another cyclist trying to find a parking space. As a result the frame had been damaged and the wing mirror snapped off.

"If you were to visit the cycle park on Platform 8, you would still find a bit of a shambles: there are an inadequate number of racks so bikes are piled on top of each other; the racks are badly organised and squeezed together making it very difficult to get bikes in to a suitable parking slot (if you could actually find one); and there are discarded bikes and old frames taking up valuable space on the racks.

Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Reading East Rob White said: "I travel to London sometimes myself and have seen the massively overcrowded bike parking. Cycling is a great way to save money, keep fit and tackle climate change all at the same time, government at all levels should be really pushing the cycling agenda including providing decent bike parking, but unfortunately they are not. This is totally unacceptable and I contacted Green Party London Assembly Member Darren Johnston and asked him to raise this with the Mayor.

In response from a question on this matter from Green Party London Assembly Member Darren Johnson, London Mayor Boris Johnson said: "Transport for London is working closely with Network Rail to improve cycle parking facilities at major stations including Paddington. Proposed improvements have been drafted but can not be introduced until designs have been approved by English Heritage and other works at Paddington are complete. This is not expected before summer of 2010."

Notes for the Editor

1. For more information please contact Rob White on 07985 923938 or 0118 9667183.
2. Green Park Ward candidate Rob White polled 994, and came within 20 votes of becoming Reading's first Green councillor at the last local elections in Reading. At the last general election he stood in Reading East and increased the Green vote by over 50% polling 1548.

Printed and promoted by Robert White, 22 Cumberland Rd, Reading, RG1 3LB. Both on behalf of Reading Green Party.

"I have a confession to make. Once upon a time I worked in banks. But it was not in the UK. It was in Austria, where the banking system is highly regulated. Banks should be regulated to get rid of bonuses. The Government sell-off of parts of its stake in Royal Bank of Scotland, Northern Rock and Lloyds should be used as an opportunity to create community banks.

"The Government could protect the existing network of post offices and mail delivery arrangements and give added commercial freedom to Royal Mail, Parcelforce, and Post Office Counters Limited. It could introduce strict controls on the financial sector to ensure that it serves the purposes of a sustainable economy. To ensure stability, it should regulate all financial instruments firmly and permit only those that are transparent, that offer limited risk of financial destabilisation and are clearly beneficial.
"A network of local Community Banks could be established, helping to replace the Post Offices many communities in Kent and Medway have lost. These should be democratically accountable non-profit-making trusts, which would be able to provide low-cost finance both at district and regional levels. Any operating surplus arising from these Community Banks would be reinvested in their local communities. Promoting and supporting credit unions and micro-credit schemes in which small groups of people cooperate to provide guaranteed small loans to each other would increase access to loans as well."

FURTHER INFORMATION: Dr Hazel Dawe, Chair, Kent Green Party on 01732 355185 and 079444 71083.

Almost 40 years after the Equal Pay Act, women working full time across the UK now earn an average 17 per cent less per hour than men working full time.

Over the course of the year, this equates to women receiving their last pay cheque on 30 October - while men are paid all year round. *

The Equal Pay Day Campaign, jointly run by the Fawcett Society and Unison, seeks to amend the Equality Bill currently before Parliament to ensure more is done to close this 'gender pay gap.'

The Green Party in Brighton and Hove is backing the campaign with Councillor Vicky Wakefield-Jarrett (left) leading for the city's Green councillors.

Vicky and other Green activists attended a photo call at Brighton mainline station on Friday morning.

Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas, parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion constituency, also joined the event and helped to give out biscuits with a 17 per cent 'bite' taken out of them to mark the day.

Caroline said: "Despite the many laws and regulations in place to ensure equality in the workplace, too many women are still getting a raw deal.

"We urgently need to do more to end the scandal that is the 17 per cent gender pay gap - and the first step is making sure the Equality Bill goes further.

"Greens believe the Bill must be amended to include measures such as mandatory pay audits comparing earnings between men and women and legal changes to make it much easier for women to take equal pay cases to court."

Cllr Vicky Wakefield Jarrett, the Green's spokesperson on Equalities, said: "Making sure women are fairly rewarded for the work they do is about more than fair pay, it's about building a society where gender doesn't ever act as a barrier or a hindrance.

"Greens believe everyone should be treated with respect and value, regardless of their gender.

"Equal pay for work of equal value must be more than a theoretical legal right, it must be a reality.

"While many employers - including Brighton & Hove City Council - have taken steps to ensure women are rewarded fairly, too many others have failed to take action.

"The Equality bill poses a great opportunity to ensure every employer takes action to end the gender pay gap."

* For more information on the Equal Pay Day campaign, please see:

www.fawcettsociety.org.uk

For more information generally please contact the Brighton and Hove Green Party Office on 01273 766 670.

In a strongly worded letter to the Communication Workers Union Dr Lucas (below), accused the Government of "ill-serving" workers and the UK public.

She criticised the Government for its "shameful privatisation of public services" which has led to "increased marginalisation and inequalities in terms of public access to services".

The move comes as the row over today's first postal strike escalated, with Gordon Brown calling upon the strikers and Royal Mail to "get around the table" to end the industrial dispute and the Tories attacking Labour for failing to deal with the crisis.

In the letter to CWU Secretary Bill Hayes, Caroline says: "In our view, Royal Mail workers and management have been on a collision course since the private sector has been forced on the service.

"By removing profitable parts of the business for the benefit of speculators and investors, the Government has created an environment in which the interests of the population of the UK as a whole have been ill-served, none more so than your members.

"It is shameful that a Labour Government should have played such a role in the privatisation of public services, and in a way which has increased marginalisation and inequalities in terms of access to services."

"It is especially concerning that this Labour Government is not content with overseeing the dismantling of this vital service.

"It now appears to be colluding with Royal Mail management to undermine the rights of the Union and its representatives, and condoning the side-lining of the CWU in working towards the completion of the agreement from the last period of industrial action."

The Green Party leader offered the CWU the Green's full support in the coming days, stating that "...we hope that any action is swift and positive in its results. As we did two years ago, we will lobby at every level to support the CWU cause."

Dr Lucas used the letter of support to draw attention to the fact that in Brighton and Hove during previous industrial action, "Green Party members and our active Trade Union Group joined the CWU on the picket line, Green councillors promoted your case, including getting Brighton and Hove Council to support your action, and we publicly backed your position."

For more information please contact the Brighton and Hove Green Party Office on 01273 766 670.

Notes
1. Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Strategy, Appendix 2, Annexe D.