The Green Party has successfully defended all six of its Norwich City Council seats which were up for election this year. When counting ended last night (Thursday) the Green Party still held a total of 15 council seats, and will continue as the main opposition party.

Labour had hoped to gain seats from the Green Party but the Green share of the vote was increased from last year in all the seats being defended. Labour made gains at the expense of the LibDems and the Conservatives.

The strength of Green support in the city continues to grow. The Green Party's vote share was increased from last year in 11 of the 13 wards. In Sewell ward, the Green Party reduced Labour's majority from 467 to 290.

Claire Stephenson, leader of the Norwich Green Party city councillors, said:
"These are very positive results for the Green Party in Norwich. Labour put out negative leaflets and hoped to gain from us but we have held all our seats with an increased share of the vote. I think people in those wards value the hard work of their Green Party Councillors.

"As the opposition on the City Council our job is to hold Labour to account and scrutinise the administration."

Adrian Ramsay, deputy leader of the Green Party, said:
"Green Party support in Norwich continues to grow. Residents responded positively to our policies on bringing services back in house, creating jobs in green industries and making the council more open and responsive.

"Norwich continues to be one of the strongest places in the country for the Green Party. The city is now a clear battle between Labour and the Green Party, with support for the LibDems and Conservatives falling away."

The party is fielding more than 900 candidates in England and Wales and is hoping to make gains, especially in the West Midlands.
Deputy leader Adrian Ramsay said the Greens would cut fuel bills, expand the living wage and protect public services from government cuts.

Voters will go to the polls on 3 May.  Council elections will be held in England, Scotland and Wales, while there are a number of mayor-related votes, including Londoners choosing their next directly-elected mayor.  Referendums will be held in other cities to decide whether to have a directly-elected mayor in the future.

'Firmer footing'
Speaking at the party's launch in Solihull, Mr Ramsay said support for the Greens was "growing consistently year on year".
He outlined the key points in their manifesto, including:

• wider implementation of the living wage, which is higher than the minimum wage - it is currently £8.30 in London

• a ratio of no more than 10 to 1 between the salaries of the highest and lowest paid employees within a council

• more investment by local authorities in projects like solar panels and insulation

"At this election, the Green Party's saying that we need to reduce the gap between rich and poor, we need to be creating jobs that will last, and we need to be protecting services from government cuts,"

Mr Ramsay said.
"We're seeing people losing their jobs at a time when we could be creating jobs in areas like renewable energy, public transport - areas that will help reduce people's fuel bills, as well as reducing carbon emissions, and put our economy on a firmer footing.

"And local councils have a key role to play, both in job creation and in reducing the gap between rich and poor."

The Scottish Green Party also launched its manifesto on Monday, saying it expected its number of councillors to "swell".

Among its policies is a free bus pass scheme for under-16s aimed at encouraging them to develop public transport "habits" at an earlier age.

The telephone conversation took place just days after Councillor Arthur wrote to Mrs Spelman to state the city council's opposition to incineration in Norfolk.

Councillor Claire Stephenson, Leader of the Opposition Green Party Group on Norwich City Council said:
"Brenda Arthur agreed to write to the Secretary of State to explain that the city council opposes incineration after she was petitioned to do so by fifteen Green and four Liberal Democrat councillors. It was clear that the view of the city council in January of this year was that the council opposed incineration in Norfolk.

If Councillor Arthur then said in a phone call that the city council was content to go along with a strategy which included the creation of an incinerator in Norfolk, she was speaking for herself, not on behalf of other councillors. This would seem to be an abuse of her position."

The Opposition councillors who wrote to Councillor Arthur in January referred to a motion passed by Norwich City Council in 2007 which stated "this council confirms its opposition to any form of incineration of Norfolk's waste".

Following Mrs Spelman's telephone call to Councillor Arthur, the Secretary of State agreed waste incineration credits to the value of £169m for an incinerator at Kings Lynn.

Councillor Amy Stammers, Green Party Shadow Portfolio Holder for Environmental Services and Climate Change, attempted to ask Councillor Arthur a formal question at a recent council meeting. Councillor Stammers' question was:
"Will the cabinet member write to the Secretary of State and ask him to call in the Saddlebow waste incinerator planning application?"
When this question was disallowed, Councillor Stammers asked it by email, but did not receive a clear response.

While in Norwich, Caroline will be speaking at a Green Party public meeting entitled Local Economy: The Green Vision which will discuss supporting local producers and firms, creating lasting jobs and promoting low-carbon industries. Also speaking at the meeting will be:

Claire Stephenson, Leader of Norwich Green Party City Councillors

Suzanne Jeffrey from Climate Jobs Caravan

The meeting will be chaired by Green Party deputy leader Adrian Ramsay.

The meeting will take place between 7:30pm-8:30pm (including time for questions) at Gateway Vineyard Church, Nelson Street, Norwich NR2 4DR. Refreshments will be served from 7:00pm and entry is free although donations are welcome.

The 2012 Budget will do nothing to deliver a greener or more prosperous economy - and shows the Coalition completely failing the fairness test, said the UK's Green MP today.

Caroline Lucas, leader of the Green Party and MP for Brighton Pavilion, said:
"This true blue Budget is the nail in the coffin for this Government's ‘greenest ever' pledge.

"The determination to plough ahead with growth-at-any-cost planning reforms and aviation expansion, throw money at North Sea oil and gas, and ignore the potential of green energy shows that this administration's environmental policy is blue, not green.

"The Chancellor's stubborn refusal to accept that investment in clean renewable energy and energy efficiency can simultaneously tackle the environmental crisis, stabilise the UK economy and create jobs is depriving this country of a more prosperous future."

Lucas continued: "Meanwhile, Osborne's toxic tax cut for the richest is a slap in the face for the millions of working people across the country fighting a losing battle against falling wages, job insecurity, rising living costs and severe public spending cuts.

"Having failed to secure either a genuine mansion tax or a tycoon tax to compensate for the Tories' unfair 50p rate cut, disillusioned Liberal Democrat MPs must once again be asking themselves what purpose they are serving in this Coalition.

"The fact that public sector net borrowing hit £15.2bn in February is clear proof that Osborne's destructive austerity drive is failing even on its own terms. And given the increasing levels of joblessness, the Government's blind belief in the private sector to compensate for huge public sector job losses - 270,000 last year - looks increasingly delusional.

"We have a youth unemployment crisis of staggering proportions and a whole section of society trapped in low paid work. While there were some positive measures to tackle this in today's Budget, it's clear that the Government needs to do far more."

The Green MP concluded: "This Budget is a regressive document from a regressive Government. It will do nothing to deliver a fairer or more prosperous UK economy - and it certainly won't deliver a greener one."

The Kennel Club in particular was a major target for criticism in both programmes, and for good reason. Though the club's standards on the appearances of dogs have relaxed in recent years amid growing pressure there are still fundamental concerns about the appearance, function and degree of inbreeding in some breeds.

With no legislative power The Kennel club find themselves in a difficult position, juggling their commitment to both breeders and dogs. This conflict of interest makes the need for an independent regulatory committee all the more urgent.

The Green Party echoes the documentary maker's call for an independent government-backed regulatory body to monitor dog breeding practices as Green Party Deputy Leader Adrian Ramsay says:
"The breeding practices that have been exposed in the BBC documentary show that dog welfare is being disregarded. It is perverse that some breeders deliberately breed dogs with major health problems and deformities for prestige and to win competitions.

"The Green Party has long supported the measures that the journalist called for in the documentary. An independent regulatory committee is crucial to safeguarding the health of dogs."

Green Party Animal Welfare Spokesperson and Vet, Caroline Allen comments:
"In my job as a small animal vet it is clear that the Kennel Club alone cannot deal with this problem. I have seen no sign of a decrease in breed related problems and there are many other issues associated with irresponsible dog breeding that the Kennel Club can simply do nothing about. Many breeders act outside of the Kennel Club, as do puppy farms. We need to regulate the whole industry to prevent the sort of suffering that vets are seeing on a daily basis. The financial cost of irresponsible breeding is also a high one, with increasing number of strays and dog attacks, costing local authorities and the NHS millions. The Green Party would introduce a requirement that all dogs be micro-chipped and would require that all breeders be licensed. It is time to tackle all aspects of irresponsible breeding."

The Deputy Leader of the Green Party, Adrian Ramsay said that it was important for universities to put pressure on companies which they hold shares in "to tackle human rights abuses and to promote the policies we need for an ethical, fairer world."

The University of Manchester claims that its investment policy is guided by its "Policy for Socially Responsible Investment" which commits the institution to: "making investment decisions on the basis of specific social, ethical and environmental criteria."

The policy goes on to state that using its position as an investor: "the University ... will use its influence in an effort to reduce and, ideally, eliminate, irresponsible corporate behaviour leading to ... environmental degradation and human rights violations".

Despite this the University holds 738,166 shares in BP PLC; as well as 137,962 shares in Royal Dutch Shell, and 15,870 shares in the American firm Halliburton.
Both BP and Halliburton were heavily implicated in the devastating Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010 in which 11 people died and 4.9 million barrels of oil were leaked into the ocean, devastating wildlife.

Shell meanwhile has faced severe criticism from several human rights groups, including Amnesty International, for its conduct in the Niger Delta. In November of last year Amnesty stated that, "Shell must commit to pay an initial $1 billion to begin the clean-up of pollution caused by oil spills in the Niger Delta."

Independent estimates state that as much as 4,000 barrels of oil were leaked from the Trans-Niger pipeline every day for between four and ten weeks in 2008, causing terrific environmental destruction in a region where, according to the UN Development Fund, "60 percent of people rely on the natural environment for their livelihood."

Looking to send a message to Manchester Vice Chancellor Nancy Rothwell, Mr Ramsay said that: "you've got the right policy on paper, but you've got to apply it in practice."

Ramsay, who ran as a candidate in the 2010 general election, went on to say that he felt that the institutions' investments in ‘big oil' companies were "completely irresponsible ... when the University's policy is supposed to be about ethical investment."
The university declined to comment when approached by The Mancunion about the condemnation by the Green Party Deputy Leader.

This article first appeared in The Mancunian, Britain's biggest student newspaper. The article is written by Joel Sandler Clarke.

Green Party Leader Caroline Lucas MP has tabled a new Tax and Financial Transparency Bill aimed at tackling the UK's multi-billion pound tax evasion scandal. A second reading of the Bill is happening in the House of Commons in March.

The Green Party is calling for the Government to force all multinational companies filing accounts in the UK to reveal their use of tax havens and publish what profits they earn and what tax they pay in each country of operation. The proposals would also require banks to give details of all accounts for companies operating in the UK so that tax authorities can chase any companies that pretend to be dormant.

These two measures alone would enable the UK to raise billions of pounds of additional tax revenue each year.

Adrian Ramsay, Green Party Deputy Leader, said: "If the Government collected the £16 billion that is due then it could stop planned cuts to care services, school budgets and social welfare across the country. People on low and middle incomes continue to pay their taxes in difficult economic times. What we need is the political will from the Government to force big companies and people on very high incomes to pay their fair share in taxes so we can continue to fund the public services that millions of people rely upon."

Robin Hood Tax
The Green Party also supports calls by charities, churches and campaign groups for a ‘Robin Hood Tax' on high risk transactions between financial institutions. A tax of 0.01% on speculative transactions would raise billions of pounds for the UK each year. There is growing support for an EU-wide financial transactions tax, with France, Germany, Belgium and Italy having backed the proposal - but the UK Government is blocking the move.

Adrian Ramsay commented: "Money raised from the Robin Hood Tax could help protect public services and help us create the infrastructure and jobs that we need for the future. By blocking the tax David Cameron is protecting the interests of London financiers while neglecting the nterests of the UK as a whole."

Reform the Banking System

Taxpayers bailed out the banks after risky behaviour by the banking sector led to the credit crunch. Now the Government is cutting public services to try to rein in public expenditure.

The Green Party wants to see radical reform of the banking system, including:

• Setting up a High Pay Commission to ensure that bankers are not rewarded for failure;
• Ending tax relief on bankers' bonuses;
• Regulating the financial sector to ensure that money invested by the public is safe;
• Promoting more reliable and ethical banking such as mutuals, co-operatives and community banks.

Businesses and bankers in the City of London continue to make huge profits while the rest of the economy suffers and crucial public services are being cut. The Green Party
wants the Government to force big companies and the super rich to pay their fair share of taxes.

You can read more about Green Party policies on banks at
www.greenparty.org.uk/policies

A recent study by mental health charity Mind revealed that mental health services around the country are already overstretched and many people with depression are struggling to get access to the professional support they need. The Mind investigation found many examples of good mental health care and caring staff but also concluded that too many people with depression were left isolated and in some cases the support on offer lacked the compassion needed.

An academic study has shown that one of the effects of people with depression not receiving treatment is increased risk of suicide. Suicide is on the increase, particularly among young men, who are the people least likely to receive professional support.

Green Party Deputy Leader Adrian Ramsay said: "Mental health services are already overstretched and we are seeing the impact on patients, their families and staff working in difficult conditions. Cutting the services further is completely indefensible."

To read more about mental health issues and services please visit www.mind.org.uk

In a recent public statement, Councillor Stephen Little described the slicing of 27% from local authority budgets as ‘the height of irresponsibility' at a time when social care faces ever increasing demand.

In Norfolk the numbers of people being assessed for social care has increased over the past five years by an average of 17% per year. Yet next year's budget for social care in Norfolk is being cut by 3% with more cuts planned for the following year.

The Green Party is particularly concerned about the County Council's planned cuts to ‘preventative care', which includes funding for luncheon clubs, day care centres and supporting people to live independently in their own homes. Age UK and others have argued that these cuts are likely to increase costs in the long term as older people who are left more isolated are more likely to need hospital treatment and residential care.

Green Party Councillors have put forward costed proposals to save preventative care services. They argue that investment in preventative services is crucial to avoid the potential ‘crisis' in social care of which Age UK has warned.

We were delighted when the County Council abandoned these plans - but concerned that the ruling Conservative Cabinet at County Hall had not dropped its support for
burning Norfolk's waste.

Now the campaign has moved to West Norfolk, where the County Council is persisting with plans to build an incinerator near Kings Lynn - despite overwhelming local opinion. In a referendum held in the West Norfolk Borough last year over 65,000 residents (93%) voted against the
waste incinerator plans.

Green Party Councillors are pressing the County Council to drop its incinerator plans and pursue other options that do not involve burning waste and creating harmful emissions.

Recycling levels have been increasing across Norfolk in recent years - but they could grow much higher if doorstep and community facilities were improved to include a greater range of materials. The Green Party would also like to see investment in local resource recovery parks where people can take items for repair and re-use. Even for the residual waste that is left there are ways of treating it that do not involve burning - such as mechanical biological treatment, where waste is separated and then composted.

Councillor Little said:
"We are particularly concerned about the County Council's planned cuts to ‘preventative care', which includes funding for luncheon clubs, day care centres and supporting people to live independently in their own homes. Age UK and others have argued that these cuts are likely to increase costs in the long term as older people who are left more isolated are more likely to need hospital treatment and residential care."

"Services such as Day Care play a vital role in keeping people safe and well. Many people who provide the service are concerned that in the uncertain funding environment, they may not be able to continue. Our Green budget would give them, and the people who enjoy day care, the reassurance they need"

"Looking at the wider picture in Norfolk, the numbers of people being assessed for social care has increased over the past five years by an average of 17% per year. Yet next year's budget for social care in Norfolk is being cut by 3% with more cuts planned for the following year. This just doesn't make sense and is fraught with risk".

Councillor Richard Bearman, group leader added: "To fund the extra investment that is so needed in this and future years, we are proposing a 3.5% Council Tax rise. For most people, this would mean about an extra 60p per week. This is not something we would suggest lightly and we all too aware of how difficult these times are for many people. However, in reality, this is the only responsible position to take. This would provide an extra £12 million for every year in the future, which would go a long way to helping our social care services to keep people safe and well."

Stephen Little, Green Councillor for Town Close, Norwich said: "The Green Party has consistently campaigned on the issue of quality assurance over the last year. We are delighted that, on this occasion, the County Council has decided to listen to the many concerns expressed both by us and by many other organizations such as Age UK, the Older People's Forum and Unison.

"There has been no shortage of national news stories over the year which have illustrated how cuts to Quality Assurance would not be an appropriate way for the Council to save money. Recently, for instance, a report by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission on Care in the Home found serious cases across the UK of neglect, abuse and disregard for privacy and dignity.

"We will continue to do all we can to ensure that the many issues around the future of social care and the safeguarding of vulnerable people remain high on the public agenda."

This follows a year of campaigning by the group known as Friends of Wensum Lodge, Green Party Ward Councillors, King Street Community Voices, King Street Cultural Quarter and Fifth Quarter. They negotiated and lobbied, held a public meeting, ran a petition and used the Freedom of Information Act to challenge the figures quoted to justify closure. Friends of Wensum Lodge produced their own estimates for repair work, and have prepared a detailed business plan to repair, re-open and run the Sports Hall.

Green Party councillor Lesley Grahame said:

"The new agreement shows what a few determined people can do, and we can all be grateful, impressed and inspired by their tremendous efforts. I look forward to the re-opening of this great facility for the whole community."

The fightback was led by sports hall users, headed by Doug Poynton, Roger Mason, John Jewell and Bill Glover.
They were supported by Green Party Ward Councillors and former Norwich MP, Dr Ian Gibson

Doug Poynton said:

"The next phase will include the establishment of a management team and applications for grant funding. There will be a work and refurbishment period of 6 months, during which rent will be paid in kind, as the group carries out repairs.

Friends of Wensum Lodge would like to hear from all those people who previously played at the sports hall before it closed. We would also welcome voluntary help, both short and long-term."

A motion has been tabled to the Full County Council meeting for Monday January 16th to debate having an independent review.

Councillor Boswell says ‘I first asked the Chief Executive for such an independent review in June last year when I could see that the public had lost confidence in Norfolk County Council. It was essential then to restore confidence, it is even more essential now. It is over six months since I first suggested it, and it is disgraceful that the Council has created every possible obstacle to prevent a full investigation into the public's concerns.‘

Councillor Boswell also said that it was important for the Council to relook at its waste strategy in the face of the overwhelming opposition to incineration.

He says: "Whatever the outcome, the Council needs to face up to the huge opposition, across Norfolk to incineration as a waste disposal method, demonstrated by the opposition to it by both Norwich City and Kings Lynn Councils. The choice is not between landfill and incineration, or ‘skyfill' - we need a new waste strategy that brings in much more innovative solutions so that we radically reduce our landfill without incineration. Simply, the Norfolk Waste Partnership Strategy is completely unviable since Norwich City Council reasserted its opposition to incineration and it needs to be rewritten as a matter of urgency."

On his election, Richard Bearman, councillor for Mancroft Ward, said: "I am proud to take on the leadership of the Green Party group at the beginning of 2012, when there are so many social, economic and environmental concerns for Norfolk people. We will take a strong line in challenging the Conservative cabinet on key issues, such as limiting cuts to social welfare and public transport in the upcoming budget, and opposing the Kings Lynn incinerator that is a threat to public health and the environment."

County Councillor for Wensum Ward and Deputy Leader of the Green Party County Group Marcus Hemsley said of the appointment "I'm looking forward to working with Councillor Bearman, he brings a lot of experience and knowledge to the role. I'm sure Green Party supporters will be pleased with this appointment."

So far the news ahead of the Durban conference has been depressing. Global recession is taking precedence and many of the industrialised countries are reluctant to commit to the financial programmes necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

We have been told that a positive and substantial outcome is unlikely, but Greens believe it is essential that a package is negotiated that allows a global agreement to be forthcoming for the post-2012, second commitment period.

From 28 November to 9 December this year, the global community will converge in Durban for yet another round of negotiations to work out a deal to stabilise the climate system and assure vulnerable communities of a promising future.

Many of the world's poorest countries will be first to face the severity of climate change leading to ecological devastation and thousands of environmental refugees.

The challenges at Durban are to secure the future of the Kyoto protocol and to have a political commitment to the continuance of a second commitment period under Kyoto. For all of its difficulties, it is the one tool that we have that is a legal tool that has mandatory binding targets and that is why it is so important that we have to make sure that there is some way of that going forward.

It's the wealthy countries that have contributed most of the greenhouse gas emissions and they are absolutely in a position to help the poorer countries. Most poorer countries have not even reached the levels of CO2 emissions that climate scientists say is causing climate change. A contraction and convergence model, whereby the rich industrialised countries drastically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions allowing the poorer countries to stabilise theirs is the model preferred by the Green Party.

Of course many will feel that asking politicians to safeguard our world is like asking wolves to guard lambs but sadly there is little alternative. Time is running out. We must hammer home to them the importance of people before profit.

Adrian Ramsay said:
"The UEA Music School is popular and successful. I was very disappointed to hear that the University management is considering closing the school and I'm pleased to be supporting the students and staff campaigning to keep it open. The Government's cuts to higher education funding mean that arts schools in many universities will be threatened with closure."

The campaign highlights that the University's review failed to consult students, staff and external experts. Campaigners are calling for another review to be carried out to consider the opportunities that investment in this school, ranked 12th in this year's Guardian tables, could bring.

Green Party Councillors have been actively supporting the campaign from the outset. At next week's City Council meeting Green Councillor Ruth Makoff will be asking the Council's Cabinet if it shares her concern about the impact of the school's closure on the cultural life of the city.

Adrian Ramsay continues:
"Cuts to arts schools around the country will reduce educational opportunities for thousands of young people - not only those who study subjects such as music but also those studying other subjects who do extra-curricular activities in music, drama and the arts alongside their studies. Successful universities need to have a wide range of subjects on offer, including arts subjects such as music."

Lakenham is in the 10% most deprived East of England wards, with JSA claimants on the rise at 5.3% (above the national rate 3.9%). An RRP, which recovers materials traditionally destined for landfill sites for re-use, repair and recycling, would provide environmentally sound employment.

Paul Neale said:
"Since the time when I was growing up in Lakenham, Norwich has lost a number of large employers, such as shoe factories, Rowntree MacKintosh and Jarrolds Printing. The unemployment rate in Lakenham is high so I will push the Council to designate brownfield sites like Harford Place for development of light industry that will create jobs locally. A good example is a resource recovery park which would provide a secure source of employment as well as helping local people reuse and repair goods."

Green Party Councillors have previously proposed an RRP in Norwich. Paul Neale believes that Harford Place would be a suitable site, being in an area of light industry away from residencies and on a main road. Existing planning proposals for the site are for shops, offices and houses but development plans have stalled.

Resource recovery parks are common in other European countries and becoming more common in the UK.

Adrian Ramsay, Green Party Deputy Leader, commented: "There are numerous brownfield sites in Norwich that were once used for thriving industry - and many could be again. We need to create lasting jobs in industries we need for the future. A resource recovery park is a much better way to approach the waste issue than the proposals for an incinerator in Norfolk."

Paul Neale's proposal builds on the recent success of Green Party County Councillors, whose proposals for an energy company will create new jobs in Norfolk through the installation of solar panels on Council buildings. Paul is engaging with residents in Lakenham leading up to the by-election to gather their views on a RRP development.