We apologise to everybody who wanted to vote Green at this election and is now unable to.

The Green Party continues to grow in strength and we were looking forward to challenging the current Mayor on his record, and giving voters the opportunity to choose a fairer future for Tees Valley.

We are looking forward to campaigning in support of our North East Mayor candidate Andrew Gray, who will be pushing to introduce the large changes needed to make North East communities fairer, greener and more
resilient.

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Andrew Gray will be their candidate in the election for Mayor of the North East Combined Authority. 

Andrew was born in Newcastle and raised in Northumberland. For the last twenty years he has lived in Newcastle and used public transport to commute to work in Durham where he works with historic archives and is a workplace rep for his trade union.

“If the new finance and powers in the devolution deal are to truly transform our region, that money and power cannot just sit with a mayor and regional leaders,” said Andrew Gray. “For the North East to thrive, its communities need to be back in control.  Money needs to be spent directly within communities, where it will create more jobs and provide more benefits, rather than trickling down from big regional projects.”

Andrew says he will be campaigning for the big changes needed to make North East communities fairer, greener and more resilient. He is proposing a home insulation programme to ensure that every home will be warm and cheaper to heat, a public transport system that is reliable, integrated, frequent and serves every community, skills training and apprenticeships for the work needed to transform our economy and support for every community to develop resilience and to prosper.

Sally Bunce will be the Green Party candidate for the Tees Valley Combined Authority. 

Bunce was born and brought up in Elland, North Yorkshire before working in the pharmaceutical industry and then as a police officer in Cleveland and North Yorkshire for seventeen years. Now living in Redcar and Cleveland, she is actively campaigning alongside fishers and scientists to uncover the true cause of the mass marine die off affecting the north east coast. Sally is also a volunteer marine mammal medic and teaches ocean conservation in educational settings. 

Commenting on her selection as candidate, Sally said: “I’ve worked tirelessly to combat social and environmental injustice since moving to the Cleveland coast almost six years ago. I decided to stand for Tees Valley Mayor to bring the transparency, honest and integrity that has been lacking from the role so far. I look forward to working with the great people of the Tees Valley to bring about the changes which they rightly deserve.” 

Sally speaking at the Festival of Thrift

Despite having nineteen councillors in the North East region, the Green Party will only be able to stand if their candidates can raise the £5,000 deposit. If you would like to see a Green on the ballot paper, you can donate to Andrew’s Crowdfunder here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/a-green-mayor-for-the-north-east and Sally’s here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/sally-4-teesvally

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As Local Election results come in across the Region, there have been a number of good results for local residents as more Green Councillors are elected.

We can celebrate wins in Durham, Northumberland and South Tyneside. These wins mean that we have doubled our number of Elected Representatives in the Region.

We can also celebrate some great results, even where we did not win a seat, as we increased vote share and beat other Parties to become the nearest challenger to the incumbent.

Full details can be found via your Local Party, and selected results are shown below.

Thank you to everyone who has supported campaigns across our Region – and also to everyone who voted Green.

Darlington

Darlington Green Party contested Hummersknott Ward at a by-election, delayed from 2020.

Thomas Robinson received 42% of the vote, meaning a jump from fourth to second and cutting the Conservative majority to just 162 votes.

Durham County

Jonathan Elmer was elected in Brandon as the first choice candidate, taking 21.9% of the vote. Priscilla Elmer almost joined Jonathan, missing out to Labour by just 114 votes.

However, both Jonathan and Priscilla were elected to Brandon Parish Council.

Rupert Friederichsen was elected to City of Durham Parish Council.

Gateshead

Diane Cadman increased the Green vote share to 31.8% in Crawcrook and Greenside, finishing comfortably ahead of the Conservatives. Diane continues to chase down the Labour incumbent, who has seen their majority cut to just 321.

Hartlepool

The National focus has been on the By-Election, where Rachel Featherstone had a good result, finishing behind Conservatives and Labour, but ahead of 10 other candidates, including the Liberal Democrats and the Northern Independence Party.

Newcastle

Tay Pitman took second place in West Fenham, ahead of Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and Newcastle Independents – doubling the vote share despite fierce competition from the other parties.

Northumberland

Northumberland County Council has its first Green County Councillors. Nick Morphet (Humshaugh) and Martin Swinbank (Alnwick) comfortably won their seats.

Michelle Brannigan had a good night in Ashington, beating the Conservatives to take second place for County Councillor, and cutting the Labour majority from 550 to just 287. At local level, Michelle was elected to Town Council.

In Morpeth, Elaine Skinner and Elisa Lawson were elected to the Town Council.

North Tyneside

Alan Steele took 28% of the vote in Whitley Bay, finishing second and comfortably beating the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

Penny Remfry doubled the Mayoral vote share, finishing third (but with a very strong second preference vote share).

South Tyneside

David Francis has been joined by two more Greens on South Tyneside Council.

Sue Stonehouse joins David representing Beacon & Bents Ward, taking 46.5% of the vote.

Peter Bristow also joins the growing ranks of Green Councillors, winning 51.2% of the vote in West Park.

Sunderland

Sunderland Greens worked hard, and had some good results increasing overall vote share by 1.2%, but were faced with a strange mix of results – possibly explained by a City still split over the Brexit issue.

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The Green Party has selected Rachel Featherstone as their candidate for the forthcoming Hartlepool by-election.

Featherstone, who has lived in the north east her entire life, will stand for the seat on the promise to fight for a Green recovery for the people of Hartlepool after she was selected by the Stockton & Hartlepool Green Party last night [Thursday 1 April].

Featherstone, who works on Teesside as a university lecturer, and is mother of three children, has said she is adamant that Hartlepool deserves better representation.

She said:

“I’m very proud to have been selected as the Green Party candidate for Hartlepool. Every green vote will be a message that things can’t go on the way they have been.

“It is frankly outrageous how Labour and the Conservatives have approached this by-election as a game, to see who can get one over the other. This town is not just a brick in the ‘red wall’ to be taken for granted, and it isn’t just a scalp to be won by the Tories, with their inept government.

“Hartlepool needs the kind of transformation that a Green recovery could bring. But, while other parties claim to be committed to such a recovery, real Green policies need real Green politicians with a clear vision – not just warm words and window-dressing.”

Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley said:

“I’m delighted that Rachel is the Green Party candidate in Hartlepool, leading the way in the fight for social and environmental justice. After an incredibly tough year for us all, this by-election is an important opportunity for the people of Hartlepool to show that they don’t want things to just go back to how they were before the pandemic.

“While Labour and the Conservatives still fail to grasp the need for real change, the Green Party has a clear plan for a recovery from coronavirus which will see millions of Green jobs spread throughout communities across the country.

“From supporting trade unions’ call for a 15% pay rise for nurses to pushing for retrofitting schemes to create warm homes for all and Green jobs for the region, it is Greens on the ground, working with local communities and doing what is necessary to make all of our towns and cities cleaner, healthier places to live and prosper.”

Photo credit: Dawn Furness

Contacts

CANDIDATE: Rachel Featherstone – rachel.featherstone@greenparty.org.uk / 07525 326487 

REGIONAL GREEN PARTY – Tom Stewart – coordinator@northeast.greenparty.org.uk / 07968 720217

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact: press@greenparty.org.uk / 0203 691 9401

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The government’s new industrial decarbonisation strategy [1] goes nowhere near far enough and lacks the proper plan and finance to achieve its aims, the Green Party has warned.

Bristol Green Party Councillor Carla Denyer, who proposed the UK’s first climate emergency declaration, said:

“We welcome the government’s recognition that CO2 emissions must be squeezed out of UK industrial production, although the target of reducing emissions by two-thirds by 2035 is inadequate.

“But we have to ask Greta Thunberg’s resounding question: ‘Where is the plan?’ This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a government department offer only hot air when what is needed is a clear plan and funding to back it up.

“Instead of an ambitious plan and funding on the scale we have seen from the EU and US, this strategy is nothing more than wishful thinking. It is depressing to see how, yet again on a vital green issue, the government has aimed low and will still miss its target.”

David Flint, convenor of the Green Party’s Climate Emergency Policy Working Group, added:

“If we take the strategy on its own terms, it fails to address the ultimate high emitters – oil and gas – which are problematic both offshore and onshore. Indeed, without a clear commitment to reduce oil and gas refining, both carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen may simply prolong the pollution. Hydrogen is not a solution unless it is rolled out alongside sufficient renewable electricity to produce it and we are far from achieving that.

“The government has also failed to rise to the challenge of phasing out carbon-intensive blast furnaces in steel production. We simply cannot arrive at a net-zero carbon emission economy unless we undergo a rapid transition of our steel industry. We need a government plan to urgently invest in electric arc furnaces melting scrap steel to minimise the amount of carbon released from the industry.”

ENDS

Notes

1

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/industrial-decarbonisation-strategy

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The Green Party has reiterated a call for a ‘State of Nature’ clause being included in the delayed Environment Bill which would require the government to set a legally-binding target of 2030 to halt and reverse the decline of nature.

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas supported an amendment to the bill [1], with the target seen as a vital way to hold ministers to account- without the amendment, opportunities to save the natural world from irreversible damage would be lost.

Meanwhile, the party has called on road building projects and airport expansion plans to be scrapped [2] following an announcement which said the capacity of Leeds Bradford Airport would be increased despite widespread condemnation and concern. [3]

Lucas said: “The Environment Bill needs to be strengthened if it is to provide the protection that’s urgently needed and that’s why this Amendment is so important. As it is, we have lost protections we had as EU members and what’s being put in their place is weaker.

“What action the UK takes on climate and biodiversity this year matters more than ever because, as hosts of COP26, government policies will be in the global spotlight. That’s why we need to see far greater ambition and the funding to back it.

“We live in one of the most nature-depleted nations in the world, with 15% of our species on the brink of extinction and just under half of UK wildlife in long term decline. Now more than ever, the government must listen to these demands and protect the natural world they are failing so badly.”

ENDS

Notes, https://www.wcl.org.uk/state-of-nature-amendment.asp, https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2021/03/15/road-building-and-airport-expansion-must-be-scrapped-say-greens/,  

https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2021/02/11/greens-criticise-decision-to-allow-leeds-bradford-airport-expansion/,

https://e-activist.com/page/76784/petition/1?locale=en-GB

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Responding to policing at the vigil, Green Party co-leader and candidate for Mayor of London Sian Berry said:

“I can’t think of a more shameful way for an organisation to have handled this whole situation. 

“There was literally no chance of this being a violent event if it had been left in peace. And given what prompted it, these scenes are just abhorrent and traumatic to see for so many of us.

“The Met has failed on every level and it’s hard to see how the Commissioner – and the Mayor and the Home Secretary – could not be considering her position right now.”

The highly politicised policing bill arrives in the House of Commons tomorrow, and the Green Party is adamant this should be opposed in order to stop the right to peaceful protest being curtailed. 

Jenny Jones, Green Peer and former member of the Met monitoring body said:

“The government wants to use this new policing bill to buttress its political power in a way typical of an authoritarian regime. 

“The police used extra-ordinary powers this weekend to stop and break up a peaceful vigil, imagine what they would do if given a new set of extraordinary post-covid powers to stop peaceful protest.

“The resources spent on our police force should be used to protect us all. We don’t want money that could be used to protect women‘s lives spent defending the political interests of this far right government.”

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