Poppy (second right) and supporters campaign outside East Finchley Underground Station

Please sign our online petition for a 20 mph speed limit in Barnet, at:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/20-mph-speed-limit-on-barnet-residential-streets.html

Barnet’s AM Poppy launched her campaign as Green candidate for Barnet and Camden Boroughs in next year’s London Assembly elections by cycling slowly up East Finchley High Road to highlight our campaign for a 20 mph speed limit on Barnet residential streets.

She was joined by around 10 other Greens and cycling enthusiasts and their protest attracted quite a crowd of onlookers.

Poppy said: “I know it’s provocative to cycle slowly up the road, but the challenges facing Barnet’s residents call for urgent, drastic action, including curbing traffic speed.

“Firstly, there’s Barnet’s tragic road casualty figures – the highest number of road deaths in London, and the second highest number of people suffering injury on our roads last year. (In 2010, nine people died and 1,520 were injured on Barnet’s road network, a rise of 8% on the previous year.)

“There is also our shameful air pollution. For example, the pollution monitor at Tally Ho (the only monitor in Finchley) has registered average annual Nitrogen Dioxide levels above the World Health Organisation recommended maximum ever since the monitor was installed in the 1990s.

“The dangers of bad air are consistently underplayed, and the mayor does everything he can to avoid paying the hefty fines that exceeding the levels carries, rather than everything to bring down the levels.

“In any case I want to see London become a more livable, affordable and happy city, and convert Barnet into a model borough for cycling and pollution reduction, not like it is now – London’s most deadly borough for road users of all kinds.”

Please sign our online petition for a 20 mph speed limit in Barnet, at:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/20-mph-speed-limit-on-barnet-residential-streets.html

- The elections for the Mayor and London Assembly take place in May 2012.

- Jenny Jones has been selected as the Green Party candidate for Mayor.

- The London Assembly consists of 25 members – 14 elected from constituencies 11 elected from a Londonwide proportional list. The Greens have two members on the outgoing Assembly.

- POPPY BIO:

A communications professional with experience on three continents, Poppy went to school and lives in Barnet borough. A life-long campaigner for community, sustainability and fairness, Poppy chaired the committee that spearheaded the successful campaign to introduce anti-sex discrimination legislation in Hong Kong in the last days of the colonial government, and has served as a peace worker in Palestine and in the Philippines. She has stood in Barnet

as Green parliamentary candidate, and now co-chairs the party’s Regional Council. She can also be found jogging along Dollis Brook, cycling across Hampstead Heath, and people-watching with her family at Camden Lock.

Alexis Rowell with Maya de Souza (second left) and other Camden Green Party campaigners

If can help in the campaign contact Alexis at alexis.rowell@greenparty.org.uk

The Green Party has chosen former Liberal Democrat councillor and Camden Eco Champion, Alexis Rowell, as their candidate for the Highgate by-election on Thursday 15^th September.

The Green Party’s Maya de Souza topped the poll in Highgate ward in last year’s council elections and the Greens are going all out to get Alexis elected so that he can help Maya with the great work she does.

The by-election follows the resignation of a Labour councillor who was only elected last year.

Alexis was a leading Lib Dem councillor in Camden from 2006 to 2010, and is widely credited with having significantly raised the profile of environmental issues in the council and across the borough.

But, shortly after winning a national Sustainability Councillor of the Year award, he stood down at the May 2010 elections.

Alexis said: “I have been growing increasingly disillusioned with the Lib Dems since the party joined the coalition government. My principal reason for leaving was Chris Huhne’s support for nuclear power, but I have also been completely unimpressed with the coalition’s overall environmental record and appalled by what their policies and cuts are doing to the social fabric.”

In the past the Greens have held all three seats in Highgate.

Maya de Souza said: “We are delighted to have such an experienced and energetic candidate standing for us in Highgate. It is largely thanks to the work Alexis did last time he was a councillor that sustainability is such a key concern at Camden Council. But he’s also got a great track record as a ward councillor responding to residents’ concerns. His energy, enthusiasm and hard work will be a great asset to Highgate.”

The Chair of the Camden Green Party, Natalie Bennett, said: “At a time when the Conservatives and the Lib Dems are creating havoc nationally, and Camden Council’s Labour administration is closing libraries and playgroups, Alexis is a strong candidate for anyone who cares about the environment and progressive issues generally.”

The leader of the national Green Party, Caroline Lucas MP, said: “Alexis’s move from the Lib Dems to the Greens shows that it is the Greens who are leading the way on progressive and environmental politics in the UK. I encourage all Lib Dems to take a long hard look at what the coalition is doing and to ask themselves whether they really support what’s happening.”

Green Party leader Caroline Lucas MP

Please go out and vote ‘Yes’ in Thursday’s referendum on bringing in the Alternative Vote electoral system.

Don’t think about Clegg – do it for Caroline Lucas and to get more Greens into parliament.

We know from proportional voting in London mayoral elections that when people have two choices a large percentage are ready to vote Green as one of their options. For instance, in the last mayoral election, 25 percent of people in East Finchley ward voted for Green candidate Sian Berry as either their first or second choice. In several other Barnet borough wards around 20 percent chose Green as their first or second option.

Of course full proportional representation would be better than AV but if AV fails to wins a majority ‘Yes’ vote the prospect of proper PR at national level will recede even further into the distance. A ‘No’ vote to AV would enable Cameron to claim: “People don’t want electoral reform”. And judging by his behaviour during the AV campaign, that’s exactly what he would claim.

So vote ‘Yes’ for Caroline and vote ‘Yes’ to snub Cameron and to show that the people really do want electoral reform.

The Green Party has won an extra seat on Norwich City Council, maintaining the progress it has made at every local election since 2002.

Norwich now has 14 Green councillors, the party’s highest number ever on any UK council.

Yesterday’s election gain came in Thorpe Hamlet ward, at the expense of the Lib-Dems. The Greens also saw a substantial increase in their vote in Lakenham ward.

Councillor Adrian Ramsay, deputy leader of the Green Party nationally, will be taking news of the positive result to the party conference which begins in Birmingham today (Friday). He said:

“I am delighted that the Green Party has once again moved forward in Norwich. We have successfully defended all our seats that were up for election and made a fantastic gain in Thorpe Hamlet. It is clear that lots of former Lib-Dem supporters have voted Green this time. They voted for hard working local councillors and a constructive opposition on the city council.”

Andrew Newby, Kate Tansley and Donal Lyven, our local Green parliamentary candidates

Barnet Green Party urges local people to follow your conscience and vote Green both in Thursday’s general election and in the Barnet Council election on the same day, May 6th.

“We know Green policies are popular. Our national policies are in first place in the giant survey of more than 250,000 people on vote for policies, way ahead of Labour, LibDems and Tories. Our main challenge is to persuade voters that there is a chance of us being elected and that a Green vote is a worthwhile vote,” said Noel Lynch, Barnet Green Party chairman and a candidate for the target ward of East Finchley in the council election.

In the parliamentary elections, Donald Lyven is standing for the Greens in Finchley & Golders Green, with Kate Tansley the Green candidate in Chipping Barnet and Andrew Newby the Green man in Hendon constituency.

Newby said: “We call on local people to vote Green in all three constituencies. There is no point in trying to be tactical in order to achieve a hung parliament. You will just end up with an MP from one of the three tired old traditional parties.”

Only the Greens among the national parties would scrap Trident and all British nuclear weapons, saving up to 100 billion pounds. The Greens would also pull out of Afghanistan immediately, saving five billion pounds a year, and would cancel ID cards and other wasteful ‘Big Brother projects’, potentially saving as much as 50 billion pounds.

The Greens are the originators of the Green New Deal project which aims to create a million new jobs by investing in sustainable industries such as renewable energy and insulation.

Locally, the Greens are very much targeting seats on Barnet Council after achieving a strong score last time which would have brought them six seats  if the vote had been held under proportional representation.

“We believe we have a particularly strong chance in East Finchley ward,” said Lynch, who is campaigning with Newby and local stalwart Steve Norman for the three East Finchley seats on the council.

Hopes are also high for Mill Hill ward, where twins Dilan and Dilem Kurt have teamed up with former Barnet councillor David Williams to mount a strong bid for votes.

Noel Lynch, Barnet Green Party chairman and a candidate in East Finchley ward

Next Saturday is your final chance to put your questions to local Green Party candidates in a ‘Meet and Greet’ session in East Finchley.

Some of Barnet Green Party’s candidates for parliament and for the Barnet Council election will be at our stall outside Budgens on East Finchley High Road from around 10 am to 1 pm to respond to your queries and hear your views.

If you can’t make it on Saturday you are welcome to send in a question or a comment to info@barnetgreenparty.co.uk and we will reply as soon as we can.

On Barnet Council, our pledges are:

We’ll fight for: jobs, homes, insulation, a 20 mph speed limit, better public transport, good policing.

Nationally, a Green MP from Barnet would:

Save tens of billions by scrapping British nuclear weapons, withdrawing at once from Afghanistan, cancelling ID cards and scaling back other ‘Big Brother’ projects.

Candidates, members and supporters of Barnet Green Party gather at Tally Ho Corner.

For more information visit our Council Elections Page.
Press coverage: MEP Jean Lambert backs Barnet Green Party’s campaign launch at Tally Ho today

Barnet Green Party is prioritising job creation in its pledges for both the national and local elections. Here are our pledges for the Barnet Council election on May.

Jobs: We will press Barnet Council to do more to help prepare local 16-24 year old people for the world of work and to help them find jobs.

Nationally, the Greens want to create a million new jobs through the Green New Deal.

Homes: We will work to ensure that Barnet Council takes serious steps to encourage the building of affordable homes to buy or for rent.

Barnet’s performance in meeting local housing needs is among the worst of all the London boroughs.

Insulation: The Greens’ national ambition is for free insulation in all homes. We plan to submit proposals to Barnet Council for improved policies on insulation for public and private homes.

20 mph Speed Limit: Barnet Green Party is proposing a 20 mph speed limit on all residential and shopping streets in the borough.

Lower limits lead to a sharp reduction in accidents and also reduce people’s sense of fear and danger. People walk and cycle more and feel safer about letting their children walk or cycle to school.

Public Transport: Greens will continue to campaign for better local bus services and will fight any threat to Tube services or ticket office staffing at stations in the borough.

Green Party councillors in Barnet will also:

• Support community services such as libraries and post offices.
• Fight any new plans for major supermarkets in the area.
• Protect local parks, green spaces and allotments.
• Propose measures to help local businesses continue providing vital services to local people.
• Encourage a high visibility by local police and support officers to deter crime and make people feel safer.
• Spur Barnet Council to adopt a more sustainable approach

For further information contact: Andrew Newby

Noel Lynch and Steve Norman of Barnet Green Party with Jean Lambert MEP at Tally Ho Corner during the Council Elections campaign in 2006

Barnet Green Party will launch its 2010 Barnet Council election campaign at 11.00 am on Saturday 10th April at the pollution monitor at Tally Ho Corner in North Finchley. Green Party candidates from across the borough will be joined by Green Party MEP, Jean Lambert.

Why not come along and meet us?

For further details contact: Andrew Newby

Then on Sunday 18^th Donald Lyven, Green Party parliamentary candidate for Finchley and Golders Green, and Andrew Newby, Green Party candidate for Hendon, will attempt to fly a kite to 140 metres, the height of the chimney at the incinerator which the Brent Cross Cricklewood developers propose to build.

The attempt will take place at Clitterhouse Playing Fields at 1.00 pm and should be a spectaculr sight. Why not come and join us?

Contact: Donald Lyven.

In the Barnet Council elections, the Green Party is fielding its strongest team ever.

Seasoned campaigners Noel Lynch, Andrew Newby and Steve Norman are contesting the party’s target ward of East Finchley, where Lynch achieved the party’s highest Barnet vote in 2006.

Another impressive Green Party line up is in Mill Hill Ward, where locally-based twin sisters Dilan and Dilem Kurt are lining up alongside former borough councillor David Williams. (pictures attached).

In Totteridge Ward, Katie Margolis and Julie Rosenfield are aiming to build on the high vote achieved by Andrew Newby in 2006, when he posted the second highest Green vote in the borough, beating Labour and Liberal Democrat candidates.

The pollution monitor is the place where the party launched its council election campaign in 2006 and the Greens have chosen it again because they say nothing has been done in the past four years to improve the situation.

“In January, the monitor showed that nitrogen dioxide levels at Tally Ho Corner averaged 80 microgrammes per cubic metre, double the World Health Organisation’s recommended maximum level,” said Gardi Vaswani, the Green Party’s lead candidate for Woodhouse Ward, which includes North Finchley.

“Emissions in North Finchley may be no worse than other places in the borough – we just don’t know as it is one of only a handful of monitors across the borough. Probably many other places are as bad for pollution and the council has no budget for reducing emissions levels,” Vaswani said.

Lyven and Newby’s kite flying plan aims to mock the Brent Cross Cricklewood developers’ denial that the 140 metre chimney will spew fumes across the whole of North London.

“Of course it will,” said Lyven. “140 metres is an enormous height. The legal maximum height for flying a kite is less than half of that – 60 metres in fact. If anyone tries to stop us we’ll ask how come the developers expect to get away with building a polluting chimney 140 metres tall when we can only fly a kite to 60 metres.”