Caroline Lucas makes her maiden speach in Parliament. Click here for full speech made on May 27th durning the debate on Energy and Climate Change.

” I have an additional responsibility, which is to speak not only as the new Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion, but also as the first representative of the Green Party to be elected to Westminster.

You have to go back several decades, to the election of the first Nationalist MPs in Scotland and Wales, to find the last maiden speech from a new national political party.

And perhaps a better comparison would be those first Socialist and Independent Labour MPs, over a century ago, whose arrival was seen as a sign of coming revolution. When Keir Hardie made his maiden speech to this House, after winning the seat of West Ham South in 1892, there was an outcry. Because instead of frock coat and top hat, he wore a tweed suit and deerstalker.

It’s hard to decide which of these choices would seem more inappropriate today. But what Keir Hardie stood for now seems much more mainstream…………………”

The really good  news was that Caroline Lucas was elected in Brighton Pavilion – our first Green MP!!  She got 31.3% of the vote, with a majority of 1,252. (See her acceptance speach on Youtube here.)

Our second best result was Norwich South where Adrian Ramsay polled 14.9%  – but Lib Dems took the seat from Labour’s Charles Clark, and we came fourth.  Cambridge was also quite good with Tony Juniper on 7.6%

In Lancaster & Fleetwod Gina Dowding polled the 8th highest Green vote in the country and the highest  across the North West with 4.4% of the vote – But here as elsewhere we suffered from the squeeze from the two big parties.

In her speech on the podium Gina thanked the hundreds of people who helped the Green Party’s campaign in Lancaster & Fleetwood. ( She wasn’t exaggerating – we really DID have hundreds of people helping! It was an amazing experience.Ed.)

In Morecambe & Lunesdale Chris Coates got 598 votes  (1.4% ) In the Skerton west byelection Paul Andrew got 184 votes (7.1%) 

Full results:

LANCASTER & FLEETWOOD

Gina Dowding (GREEN)                 1,888                     4.4%
Clive Grunshaw (LABOUR)           15,071                   35.2%
Debra Kent (BNP)                            938                         2.2%
Stuart Langhorn (LIB DEM)            8,167                    19.1%
Fred McGlade (UKIP)                     1,020                     2.4%
Eric Ollerenshaw (CON)                 15,404                   36.0% ELECTED
Keith Riley (IND)                               230                         0.5%

Total votes cast = 42,818; Turnout 63.5%

MORECAMBE & LUNESDALE

Chris Coates (GREEN)                     598                         1.4%
Jones (LIB DEM)                               5,791                     13.3%
Knight (UKIP)                                     1,843                     4.2%
David Morris (CON)                         18,035                   41.5% ELECTED
Geraldine Smith (LABOUR)          17,169                   39.5%

Total votes cast = 43,436; Turnout 62.3%

SKERTON WEST WARD – LANCASTER CITY COUNCIL BY-ELECTION

Paul Andrews (GREEN)                  184                         7.1%
John Harrison (LABOUR)               1127                       43.7% ELECTED
(CON)                                                   731                         28.4%
(LIB DEM)                                            535                        20.8%

Just when you thought all Party Political Broadcasts were the same

 - see the new Green Party Broadcast.

” Morph or Wallace and Gromit meets serious green politics.”

And when you’ve watched it – Customise it and send it to a friend!

In a 4 hour special Council meeting, Lancaster’s indoor market was saved by a narrow margin after a close vote on a motion proposed by the Green Party– 24 in favour (Greens, Labour, 1 Tory and 2 independents), 19 Against (Lib Dems, most Conservatives, most MBIs and 1 independent) and 3 abstentions. The wording of the successful Green Group motion is below.

Clr Jon Barry said after the meeting “Those against our motion wanted to terminate the market traders’ leases, spend a fortune on turning the market into a ‘white box’, and then a further fortune in sweeteners to attract a single trader which has only one other store and the worst possible credit rating. We felt that this option was much worse, both financially and in terms of the Council’s reputation.”

Market stallholders will now be given new leases fo another four years in which time efforts will be made to support and promte the market and reduce the council’s deficit.

Green Group motion for Council : Lancaster Market

Council notes that the Council has been unable to secure a single tenant to
its satisfaction since January 2008 and also that the option of a market on
one floor is expensive in terms of capital costs and has many legal
difficulties. Council also notes the desirability of a thriving indoor
market in terms of employment and service to the district. Council therefore
resolves that:

1. The City Council renews all existing tenancy agreements in accordance
with the landlord and tenant act.

2. That the City Council endeavours to negotiate by agreement an amendment
to the terms and conditions which would permit the City Council to consider
any plans to refurbish the market hall.

3. That a sum of £150,000 is set aside that can be used for professional
advice on running a successful market and on potential costs of
refurbishment. However, money spent on consultants should be kept to the
minimium possible.

4. That the option to tax the market should be re-affirmed, should this be
necessary, to protect the Council from any VAT liability on any of the
proposed capital works.

5. That a working group of councillors from all groups be set up to oversee
plans for refurbishment and revitalisation of the market. That this working
group gets expert advice and considers visiting other successful indoor
markets.

6. That this working group to report back to cabinet at key points.

7. That the Council looks at all options in terms of reducing the overheads
of the market and on the staff needed to make Lancaster market more
successful.

8. That the working group considers the advantages of licenses/tenancies for
new businesses in the market.

9. That the working group considers options such as making the market more
food-based (particularly local food), attracting key businesses, such as a
bakery, and marketing the market as a visitor attraction for the city
centre.

Lancaster  market has had a reprieve after the Full Council budget meeting voted to look into ways to reduce the financial losses whilst keeping an indoor market in the city . This followed a campaign by market traders and residents supported by the local Green Party to save the market.

Earlier  in February Labour, Conservative, Lib Dem and Independents councillors had voted to close the market and bring in a discount supermarket, with only the two Green Party  cabinet members voting to keep the market open.

John O’Gaunt Green Party candidate Ian Chamberlain said: “This is excellent news.. Green councillors have always supported the market and I am sure they will be working hard to make sure that there is a viable plan for it’s future success .”

The Council is currently tied into a 99 year lease after it sold the original market site in the 1990s . One plan suggested by the traders is to put all of the stalls onto the top floor and to let the bottom floor to a single trader. Proposals on the future of the market will be considered by the council at a special meeting to be held before the end of March.

Plans by Lancaster City Council to throw out stallholders in Lancaster Indoor Market and replace them with a single tenant have sparked an outcry among local residents. A Facebook page set up to support the market stallholders has recruited over 2000 ‘friends’ in a matter of days and every stall in the market is collecting signatures for a ‘Save the Market’ petition.

The Council is proposing to bring in a new supermarket company to take over the entire building. After attending a meeting on Monday night where the council laid out its plans to stallholders Green Party Councillor Anne Chapman, who represents the city centre on Lancaster City Council said ” The council says it wants to help stallholders, but is offering them nothing. Indoor markets are a huge success in other towns and we need to make it one here , not close it down and put 120 people out of work.”

Green members on the council’s cabinet voted against the closure proposal. The decision is now going to be discussed at the full council meeting on March 3^rd.

For further information onthe proposals for the closure of the market see: Virtual Lancaster News

Representatives from North Lancashire Green Party recently held discussions with Lancaster and District Trade Union Council on possible common ground. Lancaster & Fleetwood general election candidate Gina Dowding and county councillor Chris Coates met with Union delegates at the january monthly meeting of the Trades council at their offices in Morecambe. Subjects discussed ranged from Green Party economic and job creation policies, through renationalising the railways to local campaigning against school closures.

Gina Said “There was much more common ground between us than I think either of us thought there was going to be. We were all concerned about the impact of possible cuts in public service funding and we discussed ways that we might work together locally.”

The meeting also discussed the TUC research paper – A Green and Fair Future; For a Just Transition to a Low Carbon Economy.  The report produced by the TUC to look into the implications of restructuring the economy for a low carbon future concludes that  ” There are no ‘ ifs’ about the threat of climate change and the challenge it poses to the global community………. Citizens engagement is the key to unlocking rapid transition based on principles of equity and social justice.”

See Just transition at  – www.tuc.org.uk

Lancashire County Council has rejected plans by American gas company Canatxx to store 1.2 million tonnes of gas under the Wyre countryside. The county council’s Development Control Committee  voted 13 to one to reject  the plans. Despite assurances from Canatxx UK that safety concerns had been addressed county planning officers said there had been no adequate risk assessment.

Green Party general election candidate for Lancaster & Fleetwood, Gina Dowding said ” This is the third time Canatxx has submitted plans and the third time they have been rejected. The compnay should really listen to the people of the area and stop bringing these ill conceived plans forward .”

Canatxx have said that they will appeal the decision.

We all receive scam mailing and most will immediately bin. The serious problem is that the small minority that do get sucked in are unlikely to make a complaint when they finally realise they have been scammed.
Scamnesty will be running from 1 February to 26 February where people are being ased people to take scam mailings they receive to Libraries Citizens Advice or Trading Standards so the extent and range of the mailings being used can be assessed.

The campaigns aim is to gather intelligence on the scams circulating. The more info they  get the greater the chance that the problems can be tackled, either by agencies in the UK or by partner organisations overseas.

Your library will be the nearest drop off point.

Full details of the national campaign can be seen @
www.oft.gov.uk/scamnesty

The Co-operative has launched Plan Bee, a campaign and 10-point plan to help save the bee. Worried about the disappearance of bee colonies in recent years the campaign aims to get research going on the causes of the losses and to get people involved in saving bees.

As part of the Campaign the Dukes Cinema is showing the film The Vanishing of Bees on Thursday 21st of Jan at 6.30pm

The Plan BEE website has suggestions on what people can do to help including: