It's a fantastic result; we came a very comfortable third in the North East constituency with 15.46% , the LibDems trailing in 4th with 6.09%.

For much of the day I was actually in 2nd, until the ballot boxes from Chingford were opened! In the event the Conservatives were only a few percent ahead, at 18.6%.
I am very much looking forward to seeing the ward breakdowns.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jeanette Arnold, the Labour Party candidate, on her victory.

In the Mayoral election Greens gained 14,498 1st preference vote (7.5%) in the North East constituency, a massive contribution towards Jenny Jones' 3rd place. We also gained 41,074 2nd preference votes (26.7%) in the region.

I have been lucky to have worked alongside the most amazing and inspirational team of volunteers across the constituency and to have met many residents working, often against the odds, to improve their local area and help their community.

A special mention should go to Mustafa Korel, the Hackney Greens campaigns coordinator, who came a fantastic 2nd in the Hackney Central by-election, increasing our vote share, in spite of heavy campaigning by the Libdems.

I'm sorry I wasn't always able to make every event and was sometimes frustrated not to do be able to do more, but like many people I have to work full-time to pay the bills. I am really proud of our positive campaign.

What is clear is that when people get to hear about our policies and see our hard work they vote for us. Our messages on key issues such as housing, inequality, policing and small business were very well received and of course people know that we are the only party to really understand how to make our streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists, reduce killer levels of pollution and protect our precious green space.

I look forward to continuing our campaigning across the North East of London with my amazing team and residents who want to make North London a more equal, healthy and affordable place to live. Unfortunately with Boris in City Hall our efforts are going to be needed more than ever.

Caroline Allen
Constituency candidate for North East London.

The Green share of the vote increased compared with the 2010 elections. Mustafa Korel said:

 "This is such a great result for the Green Party and for Hackney. There is an appetite for something different here and the growing Green vote reflects this.

 I want to thank everyone who voted for me, everyone who has given me so much support and for the Greens for believing in me."

We urge those of you in wards across the country that are electing councillors to vote for the Green candidate.

We urge those of you in London to vote Jenny Jones as first preference and Ken Livingstone as second preference on the mayoral ballot paper.

We urge you to vote for Caroline Allen on the North East London Assembly constituency ballot paper.

We urge you to vote Green on the orange ballot paper to elect London-wide candidates to the Assembly.

We urge those of you in the Hackney Central ward to vote for Mustafa Korel to represent you on Hackney Council.

These elections are about real issues affecting each and every one of us. They are about the quality of the air we breathe, the capacity of each of us to work and provide for our families, the protection of our natural environment, the journeys we make every day, the time we have to spend with friends and in pursuit of our interests, the sense we have of safety and security as we go about our lives. We can use them to protest the current Conservative-led government and its cuts agenda, but we can also use them to choose a positive alternative. We urge you to choose that positive alternative.

Vote Green.

Caroline spent time talking to local residents and members of Save Leyton Marshes to hear their many concerns about this site. In fact, concerns would be a massive understatement.

Caroline said "There are so many things going seriously wrong on this site and residents are understandably worried about what comes next. As the Olympics approach, I am really concerned that what is happening here is setting a dangerous precedent, that residents’ concerns don't matter, that enforcing planning rules seems to fall between departments, that civil liberties are infringed and the ODA can just do what it likes. Scary stuff".

After speaking with Caroline Day of Save Leyton Marshes, Caroline Allen said "I don't think this structure should even be here in the first place. This is Special Protection Area, in close proximity to a Site of Special Scientific Interest and numerous planning rules mean it shouldn't have been built. The energy and money – millions – spent putting this up, then taking it down, could surely have been better used to expand and improve an existing facility. I understand that Paralympic basketball players need more space, but this could have been a great investment in sports facilities that would provide a real legacy".

The council's own papers state this does not constitute a sustainable development, hardly a surprise.

There are significant environmental concerns over the site now that the structure is under construction. Planning permission was granted by Waltham Forest on the basis that less than 15cm of soil would be removed for the structure, and for this reason no environmental impact was required. However, the developers knew, prior to the date of the planning meeting, that foundations of 50cm would be required. Now this earth work has been done there is a pile of contaminated rubble and soil, until recently completely exposed to the elements and now partially covered with a loose tarpaulin, that could be leeching arsenic, asbestos and lead as the site contains the rubble from blitz sites in the East End.

Mustafa Korel, Green Party candidate for Hackney Central ward council by-election, added "I’m shocked that no-one will agree to investigate or study soil samples and there appears to be no come back on the broken planning rules. However, it does seem that there is plenty that can be done against local people who dare to get involved and are concerned about their land."

"A group of 'heavys' stood intimidating us and filming our every move as we walked around the boundary of the site. We were clearly no threat. However, after some residents blocked lorries some time ago, from driving along a road, again with foundations much deeper than promised, an injunction was put in place against 6 people, including local residents and 'persons unknown', so anyone who might want to protest is being threatened with thousands of pounds of damages. Recent events suggest that even someone walking by and complaining about the inconvenience could be affected by this injunction. So much for the right to peaceful protest".

Another major concern of Save Leyton Marshes is that there appears to be no single agency responsible for ensuring the land is fully restored.

Caroline concluded "I strongly support the residents’ demand that there is a clear, legally binding agreement and lines of responsibility for returning the land completely to its prior state, as has been promised - that it is returned to a fully public, open green space as it was before. I want to see the mounds of soil that have been acknowledged as containing contaminants be removed safely from the site as soon as possible. The inadequate plastic covering and assertion that the risks are negligible are simply not good enough. I also call for a full investigation into how the Council was misled over this development. This won’t be the first time that a large organisation has broken the rules and then retrospective amendments were made, this behaviour must not be allowed to continue".

Jenny Jones said: “Green Assembly Members elected in May will fight to ensure that every young person
in London is offered a job or apprenticeship.
“Green Assembly Members support strong investment and protection of local economies.
“We have already introduced planning protections for small shops through two major investigations. By
electing more Greens in May we can boost local jobs, rebalance our economy and build thriving
communities.”
Policies include:
- Keeping jobs and money in the local economy: Commission research into “buy local” schemes and
work with boroughs and trade bodies to promote those that work.
- Supporting independent shops: Lobby the Government to give local authorities more powers to
prevent chain stores taking over independent shops, and introduce a presumption against purpose-built
supermarket car parks and ensure local shops aren’t disadvantaged by parking standards
- Support for enterprise: Focus City Hall’s economic development budget on support for small
businesses and cooperatives to support their expansion, ensure micro and small businesses are properly
represented on London’s Local Enterprise Partnership
- Establish a Community Enterprise Zone: Ensuring the infrastructure exists to support small and social
enterprises. Maintain the CompeteFor system helping micro and small enterprises bid for public sector
contracts.
- Investment in apprenticeships and skills across industries: create at least 150,000 high-quality
apprenticeships aimed at young people under 25 playing at least the London Living Wage and call for the
Government to make apprenticeships mandatory across a wide range of industries

Green candidate for Hackney, Caroline Allen, said: “Hackney is one of the poorest areas in London, and
is in real need of policies to reduce the gap between rich and poor and help young people find
employment.
“All of us Greens across London seeking election to the Assembly are determined to fight inequality in
the capital and ensure City Hall works in the interests of Londoners themselves.”

Mustafa Korel, Councillor candidate for Hackney Central by-election, added “In a time when Londoners
and Hackney citizens are being squeezed to tighten their pockets and to find alternative means to
supplement their income, it’s refreshing to hear a party will create jobs and support small traders.

“This is much needed in Hackney, particularly when youth unemployment is at its highest in 15 years.

“A Green Mayor and Green London Assembly Members who invest in employment and life-long learning
is not only best for London, but will make the difference to us in Hackney.”

Other Green London campaign policies include:
- Making housing affordable with new housing, the refurbishment of more than a million homes to cut
energy bills and a radical shakeup of the private rented sector.
- Bringing down fares so that public transport is always cheaper than driving and make suburban rail
services more regular.
- Let’s transport our streets by reducing traffic in congested areas, cleaning up London's dirty polluted
air and making streets safer for walking and cycling.
- Improving our environment by completing a network of green spaces, planting more trees to cool our
streets and generating clean energy from food waste.
- Rebuilding trust in policing with more officers on the beat through greater use of lower-cost office staff
and police resources for road safety, not unnecessary surveillance.

Dear Editor,

I share the concerns of the residents quoted in your front page article on 12th April 2012 "Giant Beer Tent will ruin our summer"

Whilst I understand that the Council wants to ensure that Hackney is on the Olympics map, I fear that this tent, with a late night drinking license, is not the correct way to go about it. The Council has already saturated Shoreditch with drinking licences to the detriment of local residents and if, as appears likely, this venue has a focus on late night entertainment and alcohol it is a very narrow way indeed of showcasing the Borough and will exclude many residents.

If we are not careful people who visit the Borough for the first time, and for the Olympics, will see just one aspect of Hackney, an aspect that does not reflect the diversity of the Borough.

I hope very much that the Council will soon be announcing other locations and events that truly showcase Hackney and are organised with equality in mind and by consulting resident artists, creative minds, literary persons and most importantly already existing heritage and community organisations who are the voice of Hackney and who have a stake in the Borough. An important aspect that I want to see showcased is the rich history of migrant communities who helped to shape our beautiful Borough.

These events are too important to delegate to individuals whose sole concern is to use the Olympics link as a money-spinner, at the expense of mis-representing what Hackney really looks like.

I will be raising my concerns to planning officers about this application to ensure that the voices and concerns of local residents are heard fully.

Yours,
Mustafa Korel

Caroline Allen, the Green Party’s candidate for Hackney in the London Assembly elections visited
Brook Community Primary School, with Mustafa Korel, the Green Party candidate for the Hackney
Central by-election, this is just one of 18 Hackney schools that are within 150m of roads carrying
10,000 or more vehicles a day.

According to research this level of traffic can cause up to 30% of new cases of asthma. Caroline
called for action from the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and Hackney Council to do more to
tackle this “silent killer.”

“Boris Johnson and our council have failed to tackle air pollution. Both have only taken backwards
steps,” Caroline said. She added “In this Olympic year we should be encouraging children to exercise
and reach their full potential as athletes - the damage caused by air pollution will limit this potential.
Hackney has produced great sports stars, such as Phillips Idowu. Had he grown up surrounded by
current levels of air pollution would he have become a successful triple jumper?”

Mustafa added “There are many initiatives that can be taken across London to reduce pollution. The
Green Party is calling for a raft of measures to reduce traffic and improve conditions for pedestrians
and cyclists. In addition the council should ensure its vehicles and those of its contractors are as
clean as possible and that vehicle journeys are minimised. They should review planning policy to
ensure that only air quality-neutral developments are encouraged.

“Across London buses should be replaced so the entire fleet meets high “Euro 5” air quality
standards by 2016 at the latest. A tougher “Very Low Emission Zone” should be introduced in central
London, and a scrappage scheme should be set up to take dirty vans and taxis off the roads. Traffic
should be reduced by lowering fares and by investing in walking and cycling.”

Broadway Market, E8

Hackney Central, Narrow Way

Hackney Green Party is pleased to announce that its candidate for the election is Mustafa Korel.

Mustafa has lived in the borough for twenty years, of which 18 have been spent living in Hackney Central ward, so he knows all about day-to-day experiences of Hackney residents.

He has a particular affinity with the young people of the area, having received two Hackney Youth awards, and currently runs the young people programme to engage young people in civic participation and campaigning in the most deprived boroughs of London, including training teachers and youth workers in best practices to support young people who want to campaign and become ambassadors for change. Mustafa also ran the anti-bullying outreach programme in Hackney, Islington and Haringey, including sitting on the Hackney Homophobic Bullying Forum.

He is the Campaigns Coordinator for Hackney Green Party, and has volunteered for the Turkish Cypriot Community Association. In his spare time, Mustafa writes abstract poetry and enjoys climbing.

In his own words, Mustafa says:

“I am local.

I don’t have wealth, but a mum who has never left me wanting despite growing up in poverty, and a sister who has inspired me to help others and taught me how to be modest.

I have experience of living in Hackney and of knowing what it means to be a resident for 20 years and seeing changes on my estate and in my neighbourhood.

I have seen people come and go. Some who have passed away, some who have moved on and some like me who chose to stay. I have been ever hopeful for a different voice in Hackney which will speak up at injustice and which is owned by Hackney residents.

A voice that understands, social and environmental change go hand-in-hand, not one before the other.

One that is fair and outspoken.

One that is local.”

Caroline Allen, Green Party candidate for the North East London constituency in the May Assembly elections, has met with Hackney Cyclists to discuss how Green Party policies will benefit cyclists across the capital.

 Caroline's blog post is here  http://carolineallengreenlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/supporting-londons-cyclists.html

Caroline Allen, Green Party candidate for the North East London constituency in the May Assembly elections, has spoken out on the issue of Hackney Council's tax arrangements for certain officers. She said:

"In a borough of high poverty and growing inequality I would hope that the council would be leading by example to ensure that tax was collected and tax avoidance minimised amongst its own staff.

However it turns out that Hackney have 39 top permanent paid staff being paid through external agencies, the highest number of the councils studied. This may mean that such individuals are able to be taxed, and pay National Insurance contributions, at a lower rate. In other words tax avoidance.

Hackney council must surely deal with this issue, and while it's at it, how about taking on board some other policies to tackle growing inequality? Hackney have been slow to ensure contractors pay the London Living Wage, a policy initiated by Green Assembly Members. Implementation of 1 in 10 pay ratio is another Green Party policy that other neighbouring councils have seen fit to implement. When can we expect action from Hackney?

Hackney Council needs to show it intends to tackle tax avoidance and out of control high pay, as well as ensuring that the lowest paid staff have enough to live on. Otherwise, how can the Council make any such demands on private companies?"

Caroline, Jenny and Brian at Battersea Park 

Caroline Allen, vet and Green Party candidate for Hackney met Brian May, Queen guitarist and founder of the animal rights group Save Me last week, as she and Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones launched the London Green Party’s animal manifesto on Monday in Battersea Park.

Jenny Jones said: “I want to make sure this great city leads the country and the world in the way animals are treated, and simple steps at City Hall would make sure that animals in the capital are treated with the respect they deserve.”

Caroline said: “Through policy, education and procurement decisions London could really take the lead in this area and set a great example to other cities. Animals can give a lot of pleasure, whether through watching wildlife in our parks and green spaces, or caring for a family pet. But there are also problems: many animals have miserable lives, whether in a factory farm, laboratory or puppy farm."

Caroline added  “I know that people in Hackney are very concerned about anti-social behaviour with dogs. Our policies will encourage responsible pet ownership and make sure we deal much better with problem owners and breeders”.

Brian May said "I urge anyone who cares about animals to take a look at the Green Party's manifesto for London in their Mayoral Campaign. The Green Party, in this document, have made it clear that they are the only party currently making a better treatment of animals one of their priorities in creating a better London. A vote for Jenny Jones, and votes for the Green Party candidates across the board will move us all further towards a city that truly takes care of its precious wild animals, domestic animals and those in less fortunate situations."

Last Wednesday the North East London candidate for the May elections joined Hackney Living Streets, Transport for All and Disability BackUp in protesting against Transport for London’s plans to remove a vital crossing in Hackney.

The plans to remove a signalised pedestrian crossing in Curtain Road have been opposed by local residents and workers who say that the removal is dangerous, ill thought out and an outrageous waste of money, with potential costs of £80K.

The removal is part of a wider programme of pedestrian crossing removals to ‘smooth traffic flow’ and increase ‘journey time predictability’.

Caroline says "It is clear that the Mayor prioritises car drivers being able to shave a few minutes off their journeys over the safety of the most vulnerable users of our streets. The crossing is used by people walking on a direct route to nearby Moorfields Eye Hospital, many of whom are visually impaired, or blind.

"It is time for a Mayor and Assembly who recognise that our streets are for everyone, that we need a safe street environment to live, work and shop. The prioritisation of cars must stop, for the good of all London residents."

Read Caroline's blog on the topic here.

Caroline Allen and Emma Dixon visit the cafe at Clissold Park 

The Green Party London Assembly candidate for North East London recently visited the newly opened café in Clissold Park in order to see for herself whether concerns raised by local people that the café is not socially inclusive were well-founded.

Clissold House was restored and upgraded as part of an £8.9 million pound project jointed funded by Hackney Council and Heritage Lottery Fund. At the time that the contract for the café was tendered, Hackney Green Party expressed concerns that only allowing companies with a turnover in excess of £1 million would exclude most small, local businesses who might want to run the café. 

Caroline says “We believe a project funded by the Lottery and the Council should be accesible to all of Hackney’s residents, and at the moment this café does not achieve those aims.”

“Hackney has high levels of poverty: as recently reported, child poverty is the 4th highest in the country. Food poverty is likely to also be at very high levels. Yet Hackney also has some very good examples of community food growing initiatives. One of which, Growing Communities, even has a small plot in Clissold Park. “

“The Clissold House café is a missed opportunity to have had a real community cafe, using local produce, providing cooking classes, maybe even getting kids involved in growing and cooking, in the heart of the park. In awarding this contract the Council has shown once again that while it says it is on the side of the more disadvantaged in our community, this is not always matched by what it does. The Council must admit its mistake and endeavour to improve its tendering process and equalities assessments.” 

More discussion and debate on this issue can be found on The Big Smoke blogsite: Clissold cafe and The Toast of Hackney 

Caroline Allen joins protesters at Hackney Town Hall 

Caroline Allen, the Green Party GLA candidate for North East London, is calling for Hackney’s residents to sign up to a new campaign to help tackle the serious issue of fuel poverty.

The ‘Winter Warm Up’ campaign, which last month saw Caroline and supporters protesting on the steps of Hackney Town Hall, identified that the behaviour of the main six energy companies is a major contributing factor to fuel poverty. Now a new campaign ‘End the Big 6 Energy Fix’ is calling on the government to act with 3 clear demands:

1) Impose a levy on the Big Six, with funds raised ring-fenced to help people with their energy costs, prioritising those living in fuel poverty, by making homes more energy efficient.

2) Give the regulator new powers to cap prices and eliminate excess profit.

3) Launch an independent public inquiry into the Big Six so that everyone knows the measures needed to create an energy market that serves the people before profit.

Caroline said “6.3 million homes are in fuel poverty in the UK, and it is estimated that around 2,700 people died last winter as a direct result of being ‘fuel poor’. This is a shocking figure.”

 The new campaign is supported by Green Party Leader, Caroline Lucas, who said: "It is completely outrageous that the Big Six are able to rake in eye-watering profits as people up and down the country are forced to choose between heating their homes and feeding their families.

These companies are delivering a crucial public service, and it is now the Government's responsibility to hold them to account for failing to provide anything close to a fair deal for consumers. We need to see Ofgem taking a far stronger role in regulating this out-of-control industry."

Caroline Allen added “there are other measures that government and Councils could be taking to tackle this issue. It is a scandal that we have failed to properly insulate so many properties; people’s money is literally disappearing out of their windows and roofs. Housing in the UK is some of the most poorly insulated in Europe: 25-35% of the total energy used in a typical family home in the UK is wasted and at least 27% of the UK’s carbon emissions come from homes.  Green councillors have shown that insulation schemes save money and create local jobs”. 

Sign the petition online here 

Read the coverage in the Hackney Gazette 

The analysis shows that Hackney would receive £31m a year if a Financial Transaction Tax was introduced. That sum could:

- Pay for 576 new police officers

- Fund 5,816 apprenticeships

- Launch 105 new Hybrid buses

- Build a new school

- Or reverse all local authority cuts and cut council tax.

Caroline Allen, the Green Party’s candidate for the North East constituency said: “North East London has been hit hard by the cuts, its young people and those on low incomes being affected the most. It is astonishing to see that this simple measure could allow us to offer thousands of apprenticeships to unemployed young people, an investment in the future.”

The tax - which would raise £10 billion a year nationally with a mere 0.05% tax on financial transactions - is expected to be introduced in other EU-countries (except Sweden) by the end of this year. 

French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, announced this week plans to introduce a tax on financial transactions in France. The 0.1% - double the Green parties proposed 0.05% - tax will be introduced in August regardless of whether other EU countries agree to do the same.

Boris Johnson has consistently expressed his opposition to the tax, choosing instead to defend the interests of the City. During his time in office he has met with bankers three times as often as police (6). More than half the funding for his last election campaign came from hedge funds (8). Hedge funds, financiers and private equity make up 27% of Conservative Party funding as a whole. 

Allen said: “There are many areas across North East London where schools and GPs are stretched, investment is needed and yet we're told there is no money. There is only no money because the richest aren't paying their way.”

“With child poverty figures in Hackney the 4th highest in the country, surely no one living here can object to the very richest corporations paying towards better housing, schooling and transport.”

Green Party Mayoral candidate Jenny Jones said: “Inequality in London is growing with the economic crisis being used as a poor excuse

“The Robin Hood Tax is a simple measure that would help ensure our city’s richest institutions make a more equitable contribution towards the recovery without scratching the surface of their massive profits.

“The Mayor of London has played a very prominent role in trying to prevent a Robin Hood Tax being implemented. However the tide is turning in this debate and I believe Londoners want a Mayor who is aiming to spread the wealth generated by the financial sector, rather than keeping it all in the hands of a tiny minority in the capital.” 

The Green Party this week gained confirmation from Hackney Council that all residential roads in Hackney would soon
be given 20mph limits.

In response to a question to Full Council from London Assembly candidate Anna Hughes, Cllr
Demirci (Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods) responded that "the Council is on schedule to complete works to
support this scheme by the end of the current financial year i.e. by 31st March 2012"

Anna Hughes said "this is exciting news for Hackney residents who can look forward to safer, quieter and less polluted
streets, which will encourage more walking and cycling. This is great for the community and good for our health."

Caroline Allen, Green Greater London Assembly candidate for North East London, said "Greens have been calling for
20mph on Hackney's roads for a long time, so I'm delighted to hear that the Council have decided to introduce 20mph
limits on all their residential roads. However if they want to make a real difference to the health and well-being of
residents, they should include the main roads, where collisions are concentrated and air pollution is highest. The many
Hackney residents who live, work and shop on the main roads deserve the benefits of 20mph limits too"

This is a significant step forward for Hackney and follows consistent pressure from local Greens, including a motion
introduced by former Hackney Green Councillor Mischa Borris in 2008 calling for 20mph limits across the borough.
Greens welcome the Council's recognition that our policies in this respect benefit all those who live and work in
Hackney.

Benefits of 20mph can be found via National Charity Living Streets and via campaign group 20's Plenty for Us.

Islington was the first London Borough to implement 20mph limits on all residential roads following a proposal from Green Councillor Katie Dawson.

Islington voted recently to implement 20mph limits on all main roads under council control. See Islington Tribune for a report.

"I believe it is now harder to get out of poverty than it has been at any time in recent history.
This is conclusive evidence that the idea of wealth dripping down to the capital’s poorest is a damaging and nonsensical idea."

"Successive governments' policies have just made the rich richer and entrenched poverty.
That the North East London constituency has two of the boroughs in the top four for child poverty levels is shocking, but sadly is not a surprise."

"Islington is known by many for its restaurants and cafe culture and of course as the home of Tony Blair and New Labour. However, there has always been another side to Islington and what we have seen here is inequality spiralling out of control under a Labour government followed now by coalition cuts that are affecting those on low incomes much more severely."

"Loss of the EMA, job insecurity, changes to housing benefits, to name just a few will surely only makes these figures worse next year across London, unless of course those affected are forced out of the City, with all the stress and disruption that brings to families and children."

The figures can be found here: http://endchildpoverty.org.uk/why-end-child-poverty/poverty-in-your-area#london

Hackney’s local Green Party came out in force on Tuesday to hand morning commuters ‘Bank of Boris £250,000 notes’, in order to draw attention to the way the Mayor supports the City of London instead of normal Londoners.

The London Green Party is calling on banks to be more supportive of small businesses by making sure that any part of the Greater London Authority group—including Transport for London—would only deal with banks that could demonstrate they were lending to London’s small businesses.

Caroline Allen, Green Party candidate for Hackney in this year’s GLA elections, said: “Small businesses are the backbone of Hackney's economy. Working myself for a small business I know times are hard and costs are rising.”

The Bank of England's latest quarterly trends show that lending to small businesses actually fell by 5.1% in August last year.

Allen said: “Businesses need to be able to invest but banks care more about creating dodgy investments than supporting the real drivers of the economy.”

Green Party Mayoral Candidate Jenny Jones said: “The Mayor’s support for the City of London comes at the expense of ordinary Londoners, especially at a time when so many of London’s small businesses are finding times hard.

“As the capital, London must lead the way in helping change the culture of banking and lending from casino-style speculation to useful business lending.”

Unfortunately the ill thought out legislation, the Dangerous Dogs Act, has been a complete failure and while there have been small scale projects which have demonstrated some success, such as Brent’s BARK project, there is no cross-London plan and no leadership from the London Mayor on this issue. The risk is that responsible pet owners are penalised by blunt legislation. 

Legislation is slowly passing through parliament that will hopefully replace the dangerous Dog Act with a Dog Control Bill, which would go some way towards improving the situation. However, there is more than can be done at a London level. The Green Party have produced an ‘Action Plan for Animals’ which lays out our policies in this area: sharing best practice across boroughs, expanding education programmes, microchipping of dogs (which we believe should be compulsory) and working with housing providers to ensure that irresponsible pet ownership and breeding is dealt with, while supporting responsible owners. These are just some steps which would surely pay dividends in reducing the financial and welfare cost of this growing problem. 

Signed, Caroline Allen, 
Veterinary Surgeon and Green Party Candidate for GLA elections.

The full Animal Action Plan can be seen at:

http://www.jennyforlondon.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Action_plan_for_animals.pdf