Uttlesford Green Party launches May 2021 Election Campaign

The Green Party is today launching its local election campaign with a pledge to build a Green Recovery in Uttlesford.

Edward Gildea, standing in Newport and Saffron Walden, said, “After the long, dark winter of Covid we need to build a greener, more caring future. Time is running out to avert the environmental crisis while social injustice has been exposed in all its cruelty. It is time to build back better.”

This year, the Green Party is looking to win more seats in Uttlesford and to be represented on Essex County Council for the first time. It is time to bring about a Green Recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, tackle climate change and reduce social inequality.

Our green councillors on the Town and District Councils have already made significant impacts in getting environmental issues on the agenda and in pressing for ethical investment policies.

• Your Green councillors were instrumental in proposing and inspiring the cross-party Declaration of Climate Emergency at UDC in 2019.

• They initiated the Uttlesford District Council Chairman's Charter to encourage businesses across the district to significantly reduce single use plastics.

• They initiated and set up the Youth Council to give young people a voice at Council level and a Youth Councillor now has a seat at Full Council with the right to speak.

• They founded the community based EcoForum, now chaired by Green candidate, Edward Gildea, as an inclusive forum to pool ideas and act collectively and creatively, regardless of political allegiance, to protect our district from ecological and climate crises.

• Councillor Barbara Light led the protest in Saffron Walden against the closure of libraries. She is a Director of the Saffron Walden Museum Society since 2015 and is on the Board of Saffron Walden Arts Trust.

• Councillor Paul Fairhurst has been on the Planning Committee since 2015 and after thorough scrutiny and debate, proposed the motion to oppose Stansted Airport's application to expand – resulting in a unanimous decision that has since been undermined by R4U.

• Councillor Trilby Roberts has been passionate in the cause of racial justice, drafting the Town Council’s motion of support for the BLM movement. She is easily recognisable on her bicycle, leading the fight for safer cycling in Saffron Walden.

The long- awaited Local Plan is a vital opportunity to replace incoherent, opportunistic development with a vision of sustainable housing for the future. To breathe life into our transport infrastructure, reducing our dependency on petrol-driven cars, improving both air quality and public health.

Thousands of jobs will be created in the transition to a low carbon economy, and Green councillors will fight to ensure that Uttlesford doesn’t miss out on those opportunities. We have the vision that the other parties lack.

“Our economy has become far too dependent on the airport and the largely low-paid employment opportunities it offers,” said Daniel Brett of Stansted Mountfitchet Parish Council. “With the unsustainability of cheap air travel plain for all to see, we will support the development of highly skilled, sustainable jobs that spread wealth more equally.”

Standing in the Uttlesford District Council elections are Edward Gildea for Newport and Madeleine Radford for The Sampfords.

Standing for Essex County Council are Edward Gildea for Saffron Walden, Paul Allington for Thaxted, Debra Gold for Stansted and Madeleine Radford for Dunmow.

“Unlike others, we know that our planet has environmental limits, that inequality is not just unfair, but damaging to everyone in society,” said Madeline. “We have the bold solutions which offer inspiration in this age of uncertainty.”

To find out more about our full range of policies and read our manifesto, visit our Uttlesford Green Party website and Facebook page.

Our manifesto for the 2021 County & District Elections

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