AM Poppy (left) and Jenny Jones at Avenue House in Finchley

Photo call – do join us!

What: London Assembly candidate launch

Who: Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones, London Assembly candidate for Barnet and Camden A M Poppy

When: 11am, 5 December 2011
Where: Hendon Town Hall,NW4 4BG

The Green Party’s AM Poppy will on Monday launch her campaign to become London Assembly member for Barnet and Camden with a call to make London a ‘fair pay city.’

The Green Party’s Mayoral candidate, Jenny Jones, will join Poppy at the event on the steps of Hendon Town Hall to launch the party’s 10:1 Campaign in the two boroughs. The campaign aims to reduce inequality in the capital by calling for businesses, councils and other employers in London to ensure that their highest-paid employee earns no more than 10 times the wages of their lowest-paid.

Barnet Council has recently reduced the number of managers on salaries above £145,000 from nine to three. However Council leader Richard Cornelius has refused to support the 10:1 campaign or calls for him to ensure all his staff are paid a London Living Wage, currently set at £8.30 an hour.

Poppy said: “The economy is teetering, and our Tory-led government says we’re all in this together. Really? Judging from Barnet’s Tory-led council’s practices, that is far from the case. The council hasn’t heard the last of this. Fairness is worth fighting for.”

Speaking about the Green campaign for the GLA, Poppy said: “I want to see London become a more livable, affordable and happy city, that’s what this campaign is all about.”

Mayoral Candidate Jenny Jones said: “The 10:1 campaign is just one example of how the Green Party is tackling the big issues of this election head on. It is a simple, practical step towards reducing excessive income inequalities that are damaging our economy and society. We want to make London the Fair Pay City and City Hall should lead by example in this area.”

“Poppy is a very determined campaigner and a passionate advocate for the Green agenda in her local area. I have been very impressed with the work she has done towards lowering the speed limit on Barnet’s roads to 20mph, which is particularly pertinent given that Barnet has the highest number of road deaths in London. I am sure that Poppy would use this drive and enthusiasm as an Assembly Member to make London a fairer, cleaner and greener city for us all.”

For further information please contact Joe Williams, the Green Party’s 2012 election campaign press officer, on 0207 549 0219 or joe.williams@greenparty.org.uk

1. A.M Poppy has lived in Barnet for many years. She attended East Barnet School and is involved in local arts. Her professional background is in journalism and communications. She is a committed campaigner and played a central role in campaigning for anti-sex discrimination laws in Hong Kong.
2. Poppy is an active member of the Barnet Green Party. She previously stood as a candidate for her home constituency Chipping Barnet in the 2005 general election.
3. You can find out more information about the 10:1 campaign here.
4. Photos of Green Party candidates, including Jenny Jones, can be found here.
5. A list of Green Party London policies can be found here.
6. A full list of Green Party candidates for the London Assembly elections can be found here.
7. A list of achievements by the Green Party in the London Assembly can be found here.
8. The Green Party of England and Wales promotes the policies of ecological sustainability, a fairer more stable economy, a more equal society, a higher standard of democracy and accountability of politicians to the communities they serve, and social justice on the global level as well as in our own country.
9. Caroline Lucas became the UK’s first Green MP in the 2010 General Election.
10. The Green Party is now the largest party on Brighton and Hove Council.