The following articles are party political announcements on behalf of the Green Party ahead of local council elections:

By Julia Hilton

The Green Party is a growing political voice in Hastings and we are proud of the calibre of the 32 candidates we have standing in the local elections. All have a passion for fighting both for the environment and a fair and just society.

We share certain goals with Labour, in particular the need to fight the effect of years of austerity on the lives of  local people. However, we also see a need for far greater transparency in decision-making as well as a commitment to the principle of bottom-up development.

Greater transparency in decision making
Many people have concerns about the lack of transparency and proper community engagement around decision-making in the council. This has been brought to a head by the announcement that Hastings Harbour Quarter Ltd has been given the go ahead to seek funding for feasibility studies for a marina development at Rock-a-Nore. This project has been discussed behind closed doors since 2015 with no public engagement whatsoever.

Our petition (http://bit.ly/no-to-marina) against the marina has already reached over 750 signatures. Labour says the harbour plans are only ‘notional’. We say no public money or officer time should be spent on feasibility studies for such a destructive fantasy.

Independent Green voices on the council would call for careful scrutiny of all development decisions. Spending of public money should be transparent, with decisions open to public view. This should include organisations like SeaChange Sussex, our local ‘regeneration’ company which is responsible for a number of failing and over-budget projects, as well as any new companies set up by the council.

Bottom up development
We should start from the premise that the community already has the expertise, skills and ideas to develop local solutions and it should be the role of councillors to seek this out. We have great examples such as the Heart of Hastings plans for the old power station site in Ore, which could be a model for how communities can learn to develop their own projects to provide good jobs and truly affordable homes.

Joined up thinking on local spending
Income generation by the council should be focused on growing local businesses, promoting worker-owned cooperatives to supply council contracts and providing decent, well-paid jobs that create a skill base for an economy that maximises the use of resources and minimises waste and pollution, including  developing local renewable energy businesses. This is the new circular green economy we desperately need.

Community energy
The council needs to work in partnership with local not-
for-profit community energy organisations, who are initiating energy schemes that directly benefit the community. The energy market is complex and changing so rapidly that the council may not be able to generate the income they need and benefit residents at the same time. Plymouth is an excellent example where this relationship benefits both the community and the council.

A vision for truly affordable housing on public land
Council-owned land should be used to build affordable, energy-efficient housing at social rents owned by Community Land Trusts to keep those houses as a permanent asset for the community. 

Championing walking and cycling
For too long investments in these areas have been the poor relation to spending on roads despite the proven economic and health benefits. Recently, East Sussex County Council cut £2m from the £4.7m walking and cycling budget to cover overspends on the Queensway Gateway and North Bexhill Access roads – both SeaChange projects. This is absolutely outrageous but no Hastings councillor has raised any objection. We urgently need a strong voice on the council championing sustainable transport.

The two most dangerous roads in East Sussex – the A21 and A259 – are mostly within Hastings and St Leonards. Our main roads are at or close to the legal limits for air pollution. 31% of year 6 children are classified as obese and we have high levels of chronic physical and mental health problems. All these problems could be alleviated by a commitment to walking and cycling infrastructure as well as a town wide 20 MPH limit.

All new developments should be designed around good walking and cycling routes.

Plastic Free Hastings
Like many others we are shocked by the damage single-use plastic is causing to our seas and, on a more local level, littering our beaches.

Hastings Green Party is already working with Transition Town Hastings on bringing the Refill scheme to town, to help people locate businesses which are happy to refill water bottles and so reduce single use plastic.

We are calling for a commitment by the council to install public water fountains as part of every new development, particularly in the town centre and along the seafront. Installations are already possible as part of the refurbishment of the White Rock Fountains and the re-landscaping of the area around the soon to be demolished Harold Place toilets.

One Party Politics
Hastings has for too long been dominated by one-party politics. It’s time for a new voice with a real vision for the future of our wonderful town – it’s time for at least one Green councillor!

 

We hope you have enjoyed reading this article from Hastings Independent. The future of this volunteer led, non-profit publication would be far more secure with the aid of a small donation. It only takes a minute and we would be very grateful.

https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/POL-GreenPartylogo-1024x1024.jpghttps://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/POL-GreenPartylogo-150x150.jpgHIPPoliticspolitical announcement,The Green PartyThe following articles are party political announcements on behalf of the Green Party ahead of local council elections: By Julia Hilton The Green Party is a growing political voice in Hastings and we are proud of the calibre of the 32 candidates we have standing in the local elections. All...The Hastings & St Leonards non-profit community newspaper