Greens’ agreement with Labour Group means free insulation scheme for Leeds

On 27th May at the Leeds City Council Annual General Meeting the two Green Party councillors voted with the Labour group’s 48 members to enable Labour to form a new minority administration to run the Council.

Cllr. David Blackburn, Green Party spokesman on Fuel Poverty and Climate Change today welcomed the Green Party’s agreement that has enable Labour to take control in Leeds.

A key element of the Green Party’s agreement with the incoming Labour administration is to secure funding for a free insulation programme for all private households in the Leeds Council area.

It is estimated that this programme would cost around £30 million over a three year period, but half these costs would be met by energy utilities under their Carbon Emissions Reduction Target obligations.  Around 90,000 homes would receive free loft insulation or cavity wall insulation saving a minimum of £100 per year off their energy bills.  This would put around £8 million back into the local economy each year and the value of those savings would rise as energy bills rise.

Cllr. David Blackburn said:

“This programme would create 200 new jobs and save 48,500 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide emissions whilst cutting residents’ energy bills.

The Greens and Labour will work together to identify the capital resources necessary to make this scheme a reality over the coming months.  It is anticipated that this programme will commence in 2011-12 and will enable the Council to hit the previous Government’s target on insulating every loft and cavity wall by 2015.”

This proposal is based on a similar free insulation scheme that was successfully proposed by the Green Party in 2007 in Kirklees.  The programme there has insulated over 50,000 homes and has won several awards.

National news round up

Caroline Lucas MP

The General Election of 6th May saw the historic election of the UK’s  first ever Green Party Member of Parliament, Caroline Lucas MP who won in the constituency of  Brighton Pavilion.

On 25th May Caroline Lucas  Green MP, writing for Channel 4, proposed an alternative Queen’s Speech for the State Opening of Parliament.

The alternative speech sets out the priority “to modernise the British economy for a low-carbon future, to create an economy more balanced between manufacturing and services, more resilient in the face of financial crises, where wealth is more equitably distributed and the more vulnerable in society are offered greater protection” – beginning with a £44 billion investment package which would create over one million new jobs and training places, mostly in the low-carbon sectors the Greens believe the UK must develop rapidly in order to meet demanding CO2 targets.

The speech promises to tackle the budget deficit, but with greater emphasis on taxing higher incomes. It refers to halting any new private finance initiative (PFI) schemes, and to keeping the Royal Mail in public ownership.

The alternative speech also talks about wide-ranging financial reforms which would include separating retail from investment banking, setting up a national network of not-for-profit community banks, severe restrictions on bankers’ bonuses and the introduction of a “Robin Hood tax” on financial transactions. The redistributive tax measures will ensure that a non-means-tested citizen’s pension may be introduced at the level of £170 for individual pensioners and £300 for couples. This will ensure that no British pensioner is living below the poverty line.

Other measures would include an early withdrawal from Afghanistan and the scrapping of the Trident missile system and its proposed replacement.

The full article can be found here.

On 27th May Caroline Lucas MP delivered her maiden speech to Parliament, a truly historic moment. Caroline’s full speech can be read here.

Green support allows Labour to announce return to power in Leeds

Leeds City Council Green Group Press Release 

The Labour Group of Leeds City Council, with the agreement of the Green Group,  has today written to the Chief Executive announcing that they intend to form a Minority Administration which will take back control of the Council from the Conservative / Liberal Democrat Coalition that has run it for the past six years.

Councillor Ann Blackburn, Leader of the Green Group (Farnley and Wortley Ward), said:-

“Bearing in mind that Labour now have 48 of the 99 seats it would be undemocratic of us not to allow them to take control of Leeds City Council.  In doing so we have put forward some matters that are important to us as a Green Party and the Labour Group have agreed to work with us to implement them.”

Election News

Thursday 6th May saw voting in the General Election and local elections for Leeds City Council. Farnley & Wortley Green Party were involved in both, as Andy Parnham sought re-election as a councillor, and David Blackburn was a candidate in the Leeds West parliamentary constituency.

In the end it proved a disappointing climax to several months’ hard work. David Blackburn obtained a creditable 1832 votes, but at 4.7% fell just short of having his deposit returned. In the council election Andy Parnham polled a very impressive 2563 votes, but came second to the Labour candidate. In a normal council election Andy Parnham’s tally would have been enough to secure a clear victory. However with the General Election being held on the same day voter turn out was much higher and the local election results saw a rise in the three main parties’ votes, closely following the trends of the parliamentary ballots. We would like to thank all those who voted for Andy and David in the elections. Be sure we will continue to fight to represent your views.

Farnley & Wortley ward has lost an excellent hard working councillor. We would like to thank Andy for all his efforts in  for the people of Farnley & Worley ward, and for the Green group in the council.