The Green Party Manifesto for the Tower Hamlets
The Green Party Manifesto for the Tower Hamlets Mayoral Election 2015 1 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 "I'm delighted to be standing for Tower Hamlets Mayor for the Green Party. I'm excited to introduce this manifesto, and I hope you will find it useful and will take away our positive message for Tower Hamlets. I'm looking forward to representing the people of this vibrant Borough. The Green Party is opposed to directly elected mayors, and we will campaign to end the position here. But as we have to have a directly elected mayor for now, we need someone who will work collaboratively for everyone in Tower Hamlets. I want to work with you to improve what is important to us all: our schools, houses, green spaces, markets and NHS. We need to work together to get the best deal for the people of Tower Hamlets; to defend our vital public services, and to oppose austerity. I hope you'll join me, and together let's paint Tower Hamlets Green." 2 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 : Austerity and Tax 4 Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour 10 Housing 5 Environment 11 Health 6 Energy and Waste 12 Business and Jobs 7 Transport and Air Pollution 13 Young People 8 Community 14 Education 9 Democracy 15 3 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 We are facing continued unprecedented cuts from an incoming, ideologically-driven Conservative Government. To mitigate these cuts, in healthcare, education, transport and in local government, councils will have to be both prudent and innovative in their use of and collection of funds. If elected, John will: Lead the charge against further Conservative cuts to councils and other areas; Reach out to and work with other Mayors and councils, both locally and nationally, to build a coalition to resist cuts wherever possible; Maintain a progressive rate of council tax; Ensure that any rises in council tax are proportionate and justified by a need to fund essential services 4 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 Housing is one of the biggest concerns for people in Tower Hamlets. People's problems include homelessness, being forced out of their homes, not being able to leave their parents' homes, not being able to afford their rent or being hit by unjustifiable leaseholder charges. People are suffering from substandard housing with huge heating bills, poor quality housing and a lack of care by landlords and property companies. If elected, our candidate John Foster will: Prioritise building new social rented and council housing to meet the Borough's needs including turning the London Chest Hospital into social and council housing; Control rents on social rented homes to ensure they don't increase above inflation and reduce them where possible; Drive down unfair leaseholders' charges, provide fully itemised costs and open tender processes for work; Work towards effectively using all empty housing stock in the Borough by bringing derelict, unoccupied and abandoned buildings back into the housing matrix; Work with the community for sustainable alternatives to the Bishopsgate Goodsyard development; Curb the power of large developers and ensure they meet proper affordable housing targets in new builds; Support the residents of the Holland Estate and other tenants that are being forced out of their homes; Ensure that housing associations and social landlords conduct maintenance and repairs in a timely manner that responds to tenants’ needs quickly and efficiently. Sanctions would be imposed on landlords who fail to do this; Deal with blights on our housing including abandoned scaffolding; Invest in the long-term improvement of our housing stock, including providing free insulation to reduce bills for renters and homeowners and contribute to more sustainable spaces; Develop a local mandatory Landlord Registry; Support cooperative housing schemes; Commit to not evicting people as a direct result of the unfair bedroom tax; Prioritise finding solutions that tackle homelessness, expanding the definition of vulnerable adults and investing in new hostel places. 5 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 A new unfettered Conservative government is the biggest threat to our NHS since its birth. Both the NHS and what it stands for are in imminent danger of being torn apart, whether through a lack of funding, the increasing incursion of privatisation or the erosion of 'free at the point of use'. Barts Health has a PFI debt of over £93bn and this is an unjustifiable burden on our local heath service. We also face a number of separate health crises in Tower Hamlets, including in social care, and the fact we have some of the unhealthiest high-streets in London. If elected, John will: Fight to stop any local GP surgeries from closing; Challenge the Government on PFI schemes, pushing for the debt to be taken on nationally, including supporting local groups such as 'Keep Our NHS Public' and 'the People vs. Barts PFI'; Invest in local, publicly owned and run social care for our elderly, disabled and vulnerable residents; Provide more support for carers including the provision of community centres where issues can be addressed and carers can provide and receive mutual support; Ensure that local providers are chosen for Tower Hamlets services wherever possible, particularly for vulnerable people and people with disabilities; Ensure all local services that are currently free at the point of use remain so; Work to ensure our community's health is prioritised, including the provision of effective advice on diet and exercise, particularly for older people; Reduce the prominence and number of unhealthy fast food outlets through licensing powers. 6 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 A vibrant local economy and businesses are hugely vital to the strength of any community. The Green Party is passionate about localism and supporting small and medium sized businesses for the benefit of the local community. There is still too much power in the hands of large developers whether in terms of rents or in the homogenisation of high streets. We also need to ensure that people working in our Borough are paid enough to live securely. If elected, John will: Provide incentives to local businesses to introduce the living wage for their staff; Provide more support for those looking for work, including careers support, CV-writing, job applications and interviews and introducing mentoring schemes; Enact policies to diversify business stock, setting maximum quotas for betting shops and takeaways in any given area; Provide more support for small business including controlling and reducing rents and making effective use of empty shops on high streets; Protect Whitechapel Market and similar small businesses from commercial developments including the 'Whitechapel Vision' with the arrival of Crossrail; Promote local business networking opportunities and co-operative ways of working including the support of initiatives such as Tower Hamlets Cooperative Development Agency; Work with the local business community to feed-in concerns and ideas to the decision-making process of the Council. 7 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 Across the country, young people are facing the brunt of the Government's cuts, yet they are also often blamed for many of the problems in our society. Young people need support, investment and hope, and something to do. Despite Government messages, the national rate of youth unemployment is at a 20-year high. If elected, John will: Invest in youth centres, especially in the most deprived areas of the Borough; Work with local businesses to provide more opportunities for young people to gain work experience, take apprenticeships and find employment; Establish a mentoring programme across the Borough that would help young people access the working world; Encourage access to education at a tertiary level and fight to maintain the Mayor’s Education Award. We will also look to increase bursaries to young people looking to study outside the Borough; Work closely with the universities, students' unions and further education colleges within Tower Hamlets to help students integrate into the community, and to support schemes that help students volunteer in their local area; Work with students' unions to build greater awareness of the local community and local democracy among students and vice versa; Liaise with the universities and students' unions to ensure that students and longer-term residents build cooperative relationships and that any disputes can be solved amicably and quickly. 8 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 Tower Hamlets is beginning to make great progress in education and this needs to be maintained. Children in the Borough need a decent education and parents need to be able to send their children to a school which is local to them as much as is possible. If elected, John will: Invest in nursery places in the Borough and subside childcare costs for the poorest families; Lobby to help families get their children into the same schools as their siblings in the Borough; Work with communities on their schooling needs, providing regular reviews; Keep schools under local authority control - support trust schools, not academies; Not use PFI schemes to build new schools; Continue to strive towards high standards. 9 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 Many people in Tower Hamlets feel under constant threat in their own homes from gang activities and drug dealing taking place in their direct neighbourhood or on their estates. Solutions will require both short-term measures that help to reduce and stop anti-social behaviour, and longer-term approaches that ensure those responsible are given opportunities and receive support that offers an alternative route to crime. If elected, John will: Work closely with communities affected by drugs, gangs and fly tipping to come up with effective short-term and long-term solutions, including community policing, restorative justice and other security measures looking to 'design out crime'; Create ‘Rubbish Hit Squads’ that could respond quickly to issues of fly tipping and increase the conviction rate and penalties for fly tippers; Offer free bulk clearances for households on a more regular basis; Invest in programmes that help people with addictions to access rehab; promote safer drug use and supervision through specialised clinics and help recognising drug and alcohol addiction as an issue of poor mental health that requires appropriate support not criminalisation; Re-establish preventative educational work to take place at schools and youth centres addressing issues such as mental wellbeing, drug and alcohol awareness, gang and peer pressure; Establish a programme of community-led social mentorship to protect our young people from radicalisation and induction into criminal gangs; Closely monitor the use of 'Stop and Search' in the Borough to ensure it does not disproportionately target BAME individuals. 10 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 Key to improving life in Tower Hamlets is creating a clean, sustainable and liveable environment. Climate change doesn't just affect people in other countries, it affects us in the UK and in Tower Hamlets. Our air quality is one of the worst in the UK which is creating long term health effects for children and our seniors in the Borough. The recent floods brought home the human cost of man-made climate change. Houses were ruined, businesses shut, lives changed forever. These should act as wake-up calls. The Greens actively campaign to wean our country and the world off its addiction to fossil fuels. Business as usual will only bring more flooding and other disasters – hurting us and our children. If elected, John will: Turn unused and derelict land into green spaces or allotments creating youth employment, providing locally sourced food, bringing communities together and improving the local environment; Encourage community gardening in all our council properties and housing associations; Protect our mature trees and plant new trees; Introduce new air quality controls; Establish a gardening competition in the Borough; Protect our riverside and marine habitats from pollution and littering; Encourage local schools and community organisations to spend more time in our green spaces. 11 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 Energy prices continue to rise and with poorer average housing stock in Tower Hamlets, peoples' bills will continue to be an unsustainable cost. We need more local control over energy and to ensure that people have the ability to save energy whilst still keeping warm and keep their lights on. Households continue to produce too much waste and Tower Hamlets remains nearer the bottom of the league for its rate of recycling in London. If elected, John will: Create the largest district heating network in London, supplying low-cost, lowcarbon energy to thousands of residents, as well as public and commercial buildings; Find ways to encourage, support and finance small-scale renewable energy and waste recycling programmes in the Borough; Provide free insulation to reduce bills for renters and homeowners, creating local employment; Look at ending outsourcing of waste contracting to companies like Veolia to provide more oversight and control over waste strategy in-house; Prioritise reducing waste and reusing appliances and other fixable items, including by supporting community initiatives teaching people how to repair clothes, technology and other items; Promote awareness raising at schools and community centres to educate more people on ways they can contribute to reducing waste and saving energy; Continue to support T.H.E. Community Power to give Tower Hamlets households more choice over which energy tariffs they join and access to information and advice on energy efficiency; Set ambitious and achievable recycling targets. 12 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 A sustainable transport strategy and reducing air pollution go hand in hand. Air quality In London is outrageously bad and Tower Hamlets suffers from some of the worst air pollution in London. The Greater London Authority admits that nearly 3000 people a year die prematurely in London due to poor air quality. Tower Hamlets is relatively well connected through a good public transport infrastructure with London and the rest of the UK, but still heavily relies on motorised transport, which only further increases the air pollution situation. If elected, John will: Work across London Boroughs, particularly in East London, to produce an Air Pollution Strategy to work on mutually-supporting issues that can reduce air pollution in our Borough and in our City; Champion initiatives which reduce air pollution in our Borough including more support for cycling and walking schemes; Ensure early pollution warnings in schools, provide protective breathing masks for children, develop green spaces including community gardens and plant more trees in a campaign to 'Paint Tower Hamlets Green'; Invest in more secure cycle parking, particularly in estates with an existing deficiency; Ensure Tower Hamlets feels the full benefits from the Crossrail development, making it central to our transport strategy; Protect remaining ticket offices in our Borough from closure, working closely with the relevant unions; Be a strong voice against any plans to extend London City Airport; Continue to support initiatives giving free travel for pensioners and for young people. 13 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 There is fantastic sense of community in Tower Hamlets, uniting cultures, beliefs and backgrounds. The Green Party wants to support this and make sure that this sense of community thrives. We know to do this we need to invest in community spaces, give people control over their community, encourage people to participate in community activities, make it easier for people to get to know each other, prioritise local business and empower people to unite against common threats such as austerity, gang culture and radicalisation. If elected, John will: Promote activities and structures that bring the community together to oppose austerity; Protect and expand successful community initiatives including Rich Mix; Give more support and control to the community for the Borough's various parks and community spaces; Provide free events for different communities within the Borough to learn more about one another and work together; Provide free or subsidised language classes including in English, Bengali and Polish; Promote inclusivity in our community based on gender, religion, race, age and sexuality and embrace and celebrate the contribution of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers as well as the working class; Provide support for dedicated services supporting immigrants and asylum seekers, LGBTQI individuals and vulnerable women; Support initiatives to get vulnerable and isolated groups together, including pensioners, and support working mums and dads to spend more time with their children; Work with community groups to support our architectural and cultural heritage including the Bethnal Green Gasholders and Norton Folgate. 14 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 The Green Party stands for a society that works for the Common Good and a political system that puts the public first. While the system of a directly elected mayor might seem to give the public more power in their choice of their representative, the Green Party has always expressed concerns about such an executive mandate: as evidence from Tower Hamlets and elsewhere demonstrates, the role of directly elected mayor places too much power in the hands of a small group of individuals with little scope for scrutiny from the council. The Greens will continue to campaign against the position of Executive Mayor and will work towards a referendum on this as soon as practical. The first date the Borough could call a referendum would be 2020 but If elected, up until that date John will: Undertake to work with the full council through a committee system and follow the democratic decisions taken by those committees wherever possible. We would seek to create a cabinet based on merit that will serve for the good of all Tower Hamlets residents; Avoid governing by decree or regarding the Council Chamber as a rubberstamping exercise. Instead the elected Council should be enshrined as a key part of the democratic process and an engine for change and progress for Tower Hamlets; Attend every Council session; Conduct a full audit of the expenses of the executive mayor’s office and look to see where value can be realised by cutting costs of administration for the people of Tower Hamlets; Hold open meetings with opposition councillors whenever appropriate; Directly answer questions and queries from the public and councillors; Deal openly and publicly with other party leaders and share information for scrutiny Openly publish contracts and bids for tender, grant applications and costs of council projects; Hold sessions across the Borough and find a sustainable and economic solution to the council headquarters that is currently located too far away from the people; Prioritise appointing a new chief operations officer and ensure they effectively manage staff but do not have influence beyond the requirements of the position. 15 The Green Party Manifesto for Tower Hamlets 2015 The Green Party is the fastest-growing political party in the England and Wales. We are now the third biggest party in England and Wales and have over 65,000 members. Tower Hamlets Green Party has been part of this 'Green Surge'. We have over 600 members, spread across the Borough, from a whole range of difference backgrounds. No matter what you do, or however long you've lived in Tower Hamlets, we'd love for you to get involved with us; whether by voting Green, supporting us, campaigning with us, or joining us. [email protected] towerhamlets.greenparty.org.uk Join at join.greenparty.org.uk Published and printed by Ben Hancocks on behalf of John Foster and Tower Hamlets Green Party at 30 Padbury Court, London, E2 7EH. 16
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