Winchester Green Party news

Welcome to Hampshire's first Green Councillor!

Submitted by Alison Craig on 28 June 2011 - 2:18pm

Winchester Green Party welcomes the decision by County Councillor Alan Weeks to defect from the Liberal Democrats to become Hampshire's first ever Green Councillor.

Alan was the Chairman and Campaign leader for the New Forest group of the Liberal Democrats until shortly after the May election. Originally elected onto the New Forest District Council as the youngest ever councillor, Alan has over twenty years of substantial experience in local politics. He has pledged to give local Greens a big boost.

Energy Bill: our open letter to Steve Brine MP, 13th June 2011

Submitted by Alison Craig on 19 June 2011 - 4:16pm

We are pleased that you, as our MP, have been selected to serve on the Committee dealing with this Bill.

Winchester Green Party’s vote-share jumps another 50 per cent

Submitted by Alison Craig on 12 June 2011 - 12:45pm

Our candidate in the City Council election (St Bartholomew Ward), Alison Craig, achieved 17.5 per cent of the vote, up from 12 per cent last year.

This shows a strong and steady rise in our vote, and was among the Green Party’s best performances in Hampshire.

Alison says, 'It's exciting to be part of a new movement in Winchester. We thank everyone who voted for us, and we promise to work on for a better future for this District than the other parties will ever deliver.'

In the St Michael Ward, our candidate Mary Tiles also achieved a good result, with over 7 per cent of the vote-share, a remarkable showing for a new candidate.

People before cars!

Submitted by Alison Craig on 8 June 2011 - 9:21pm

Winchester Green Party is calling for the total closure of Hyde Church Lane to dangerous traffic.

Cars are STILL being allowed to drive both ways along Hyde Church Lane which is extremely narrow and has no pavements for most of its length. Huge lorries are using the lane, often guided by their satnavs.

A recent survey by local residents found that over 700 pedestrians, including small children and elderly people, use the Lane per day. They are forced to share it with more than 200 vehicles per day.

The City Council decided on an inadequate compromise solution last December. The plan is to close the Lane – but only at one end (the Worthy Lane end) – by next month.

Press release: Big rise in long term empty homes in Winchester

Submitted by Alison Craig on 21 March 2011 - 4:16am

The number of long term empty homes in Winchester has risen by almost a quarter in just 9 months. This news has emerged as the City waits in suspense for the Secretary of State’s decision on Barton Farm, a proposal to build 2000 new homes on the last remaining ‘green wedge’ of the City.

In response to Freedom of Information requests by Winchester Green Party, the Council has disclosed that in June last year, there were 118 long term empty properties in City wards, and now there are 146, an increase of 28 properties.

‘These properties must be brought back into use as an urgent priority’, says Alison Craig, Green Party local election candidate for the St Bartholomew Ward. ‘It is a dreadful waste of existing housing stock to have it standing empty.

No to cuts, yes to green investment and jobs, says Winchester Green Party

Submitted by Alison Craig on 24 February 2011 - 8:28pm

Winchester Green Party joined the Unison demonstration against HCC job cuts on 24th February, to demand green jobs in Hampshire.

1200 jobs, or 8 per cent of the HCC workforce, is to be cut under the latest Council budget plans. Alison Craig of Winchester Green Party says ‘Nothing but steady deterioration, high unemployment and lost opportunities can be expected from public sector job cuts.’

Close the doors campaign hits the High Street

Submitted by Alison Craig on 17 December 2010 - 9:06am

Winchester Green Party has written to dozens of retailers asking them to keep doors closed, and to stop wasting heating and energy.

Even in snowy weather, many shops in the High Street have been keeping their doors wide open, while turning the heating up, in the hope of attracting more customers.

Press release: Green guerillas swoop on neglected city flowerbed

Submitted by Alison Craig on 28 November 2010 - 7:19pm

Today (Sunday 28 November) members of Winchester Green Party and other local residents took over a civic flowerbed in a dramatic ‘guerilla gardening’ coup.

They planted up the flowerbed on the corner of Hyde Street and Worthy Lane with hundreds of daffodils and crocuses which they donated themselves.

The flowerbed (owned by Hampshire County Council) had been neglected for many years and was a mass of nettles. Local residents had tried to draw attention to its plight, without results.

Press release: draft Town Access Plan surrenders city to the car, says Winchester Green Party

Submitted by Alison Craig on 21 November 2010 - 8:25pm

Winchester Green Party (WGP) warns that the draft Winchester Town Access Plan (WTAP) is not fit for purpose and promises a future for Winchester that is even more car-blighted than today.

The Greens say that, despite the rhetoric about tackling the negative impacts of traffic in Winchester, what the Plan actually proposes in terms of car control is next to nothing.

Alison Craig, Convenor of Winchester Green Party, says:

Green Party response to draft Winchester Town Access Plan, November 2010

Submitted by Alison Craig on 21 November 2010 - 7:43pm

About the Green Party and our transport policies

The Green Party has a well-developed and longstanding set of transport and access policies, and has for many years been at the forefront of radical thinking on the need for transportation and how it can be efficiently achieved with minimal damage to the environment and without causing social exclusion.