THE Birmingham Green Party will officially launch its ambitious and wide-ranging local election manifesto this Wednesday (20 April) ahead of city-wide council elections on 5 May, where the party is standing candidates in every single ward (1).
Dr Shahrar Ali, Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales and the party's Home Affairs spokesperson, will be guest speaker at a public meeting (2) to introduce the manifesto, which sets out the Green Party’s bold, transformative vision for the city.
The manifesto focuses on six key areas: housing, transport, local economy, energy, land use and waste and recycling. Key pledges in the manifesto (3) include a commitment to re-regulate the city’s bus network and permanently protect green belt land.
Speaking ahead of the launch, Dr Ali said:
“Green councillors have proven their ability to stand up for their constituents and deliver real change and we are excited to be standing over 1,500 candidates on 5 May.
"The Birmingham Green Party has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years and I am excited to report that voters in every Birmingham ward have an opportunity to vote Green for a better future on 5 May.
“The Greens stand on a fresh, distinctive platform. We are the only party that places environmental sustainability at the heart of everything we do; and only the Greens are presenting a viable alternative to our stuttering economic system which is insecurely grounded on unequal pay and long hours.”
Greens will campaign tirelessly in coming weeks across the country for measures to address the housing crisis and deliver decent homes for all. The party is committed to cap rents, introduce longer tenancies and license landlords to provide greater protection for renters. We will also break the stranglehold of the big volume builders, helping smaller builders, community groups and individuals build genuinely affordable homes and renovate more empty homes.
The Green Party is standing over 1,500 candidates on 5 May (4). Ali is standing as number three candidate for the London Assembly on 5 May.
1) A full list of candidates and constituencies is available at https://birmingham.greenparty.org.uk/local-elections-2016.html
2) The launch is taking place at Carrs Lane Centre in central Birmingham on Wednesday evening from 19.00-21.00. http://carrslane.co.uk/
3) A PDF of the Birmingham Green Party Manifesto 2016 is available at https://birmingham.greenparty.org.uk/local-elections.html
4) https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2016/04/15/green-party-launch-may-2016-local-elections-campaign/