Why are the May local council elections so crucial for Greens?
What happens when voters decide to vote for the alternative to the two main parties and elect Greens to represent and serve them on local authorities?
And what can the future hold when Greens are in power on councils?
These are questions that will be addressed at our next Cloud Café online debate, on Wednesday March 13 from 7.30 to 9pm.
The speakers are:
Chris Jarvis
Since being elected to Oxford City Council in 2021, Chris has led the Green Group on the council, during which time they have secured major successes including: rolling out free period products in community centres, greater protections for biodiversity in planning, a pioneering policy on trans inclusion, and improvements in active travel infrastructure.
Chris is also the editor of Bright Green, an online publication focusing on Green politics, social movements and the labour movement.
Chloe Turner
Chloe represents Minchinhampton at Stroud District Council, where she chairs the Environment Committee, and at Gloucestershire County Council, where she chairs the Environment Scrutiny Committee.
She is also the Green Party parliamentary candidate for the North Cotswolds constituency. In her spare time, she plays the trombone in Stroud Red Band and writes fiction.
Pete Kennedy
Pete Kennedy is Stroud’s Green Party candidate to fight the next general election, and is standing in May for election to Stroud District Council. Pete has worked for the Green Party for more than five years in a variety of roles.
Working in Parliament, Pete advises the Green Party on legislation and procedure and has been involved in some of the biggest fights against the Government’s legislation like the Police and Crime Bill.
Here in Stroud, Pete is an adviser to the 14-strong Green Group of councillors on Stroud District Council. A qualified barrister, Pete also has experience of the community and public sectors, having worked for a mental health charity and as a warm homes officer for a local authority.
Cloud Café organiser Elizabeth Lee says: “The planet is on fire and mainstream politicians continue to play party politics: winning the next election is their only prize and they pay little attention paid to the health of our environment, our communities, our children and our planet. Nationally in the UK, the two biggest parties trade sound bites hoping to set themselves apart and appeal to voters while, at the same time, setting out policies that are increasingly identical.
“If the two largest parties will not offer meaningful solutions to the problems we face on a national level, can we expect them to do any differently in local government?”
Following the speakers there will be an opportunity for discussion and debate with the audience.
Everyone is welcome. To register, go to: https://actionnetwork.org/events/doing-politics-differently
If you can’t watch on the night, register anyway and you will be sent a link to the recording to watch another time.