huntingdonshire green party manifesto
Cambridgeshire should be the greenest county in the world, the county best prepared for the future. We can get there with Green Councillors.
People are crying out for a new start. A recovery that raises everyone up and creates a secure future. One we can pass onto the next generation with pride. Even before the crisis, our work with citizens and campaigners exposed huge problems.
Renters are in despair, homelessness is rising, traffic is going up, and women and minorities are harmed every day by prejudice and the criminal justice system. People on the lowest incomes are struggling, and our youth services are being devastated by cuts.
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed some of the worst gaps in our systems. But these systems can be changed. Things can be different and, as your Green candidates for Cambridgeshire County Council, we have the plans to do it.
Huntingdonshire Green Councillors are setting two overarching priorities - improving the health and well-being of Cambridgeshire citizens and achieving zero carbon by 2030 as set out by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). The two will complement and reinforce each other.
You can read the full manifesto here.
huntingdonshire green party manifesto 2021
climate action
climate emergency
We will advocate for the County Council to declare a climate emergency with the ambition to reach net zero by 2030 as set out by the IPCC.
Transport
Prioritise and invest into public transport, walking and cycling to reduce car dependency.
Cancel Road Building Projects
Cancel new road projects across the county.
net zero transport system
Establish a plan for zero-emission transport infrastructure in Cambridgeshire, including electric buses, focused around where housing growth is.
reduce car usage
Help drive the shift from car use to buses, walking and cycling, including creating milestones and targets on the road to 15% reduction in car use by 2030.
community initiatives
Support community initiatives investing in electric vehicle charging points across the region.
oppose fligts holding stack
As Greens, we oppose the proposed holding stack for flights for London Luton Airport over Huntingdonshire.
highways and transport
re-introduce x5 service
Green Councillors would campaign to reintroduce bus services that have been removed by the Conservative-led Combined Authority, such as X5 in St. Neots.
maintain local roads
Green Councillors would ensure we are maintaining the local roads we have, before spending billions on new road projects, and cancel major road projects.
rail
Green Councillors support major investment in new rail infrastructure, either along disused lines where applicable, or by building new lines where these would serve perceived demand.
flooding defence
Bids for funding for sustainable drainage and flood prevention projects, rather than building expensive, carbon intensive concrete barriers.
20pmh speed limit
Review speed limit policy with a view to allowing communities to have the safest possible speed limit in residential areas (20mph) and lower limits than the national limit of 60mph. Communities can opt-out.
in-house road maintenance
We would aim to end the contract with Milestone Infrastructure Ltd for road maintenance at the earliest possible opportunity and bring road maintenance back in-house.
zero emission transport officer
Green Councillors would recruit a zero emission transport officer to seek investment in local bus services, networks and new routes.
democracy
council meetings
Green Councillors would work to make all meetings public, not just alternate ones.
public engagement
We will work hard to increase public engagement for elections, by working with schools, colleges, universities and the wider public.
local voting system
We will work and campaign to advocate for County elections to be held under a Proportional Representation system.
committee-based system
Green Councillors would continue with the committee-based system which allows members of all political parties to contribute to decision making, rather than a select band of people who all share the same narrow political viewpoint.
economy
training investment
Invest in training for local people for the skills they will need in a circular, renewable economy.
zero carbon skills
Green will focus attention on skills that will be in demand in a zero carbon world, which will ensure jobs are sustainable and available to local people. Such skills would include retrofitting homes, including installing heat pumps, and working for the growth industries of renewables and renewable electricity storage.
zeron carbon business
Through COVID recovery grants, we will support businesses that are prepared to commit to meeting the county’s zero carbon goals in their own operations, over businesses that will actively add to greenhouse gas emissions.
Universal Basic Income
Pilot initiatives to explore the introduction of a Universal Basic Income for all citizens.
support for independent businesses
Focus on improvements on communities on a smaller scale, encouraging smaller, independent businesses that put more back into the local economy and pollute less.
Support independent businesses that wish to repair electrical goods
energy
smart grid
Invest in a smart grid for Cambridgeshire with an aim to make it 100% renewable by 2030, generating genuinely sustainable, skilled local jobs.
energy efficent homes
Install heat pumps, energy efficient boilers in every social home.
Focus on improvements on communities on a smaller scale, encouraging smaller, independent businesses that put more back into the local economy and pollute less.
Support independent businesses that wish to repair electrical goods
biodiversity
Biodiversity Information Service
Establish funding for the first Cambridgeshire Biodiversity Information Service.
We would promote, highlight and fund this work to renew mapping exercises.
health and social care
The Green Party believes local authorities and communities are far better at dealing with health and other crises than national governments and their contractors.
mental health
Prioritise mental health, particularly for children in schools, with a review of what measures would improve children's mental health and support for open air schooling.
public health
Work and seek approval for major projects and policies from the Director of Public Health for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
special needs
Promoting and publicising transport training for children with special needs to allow them to use public transport with confidence.
nature and green spaces
The Green Party is the only party that puts the environment at the heart of all our policies.
High quality green spaces in urban areas are a haven for nature as well as offering huge mental and physical health benefits. Here in Huntingdonshire unsustainable development is driving destruction of our natural habitats across the district and across Green Belt land.
As well as destroying nature by paving it over, unsustainable developments increase the burden on our already overstretched water supply. Building a successful economy is impossible without a healthy environment. Right now, we are destroying the natural foundations of our economy faster than they can be regenerated.
local nature reserve network
Expand and improve the local nature reserve network so that people in all wards of the district have nature on their doorstep. As a priority, we will identify and develop wildlife corridors between biodiversity hotspots.
green spaces
Work to protect and ensure green spaces are safe, clean and accessible to all.
Oppose building on green spaces within the district and across the county and, on areas where development is considered, ensure that rewilded areas and nature reserves comprise a high proportion of the land.
local streams
Support community groups with officer time to protect and improve local streams.
waste
single use plastics
Phase out of plastic use across the county by 2024, by rewarding and encouraging local businesses that do so, through a Plastic Free Cambridgeshire campaign.
plastic wrapping
Work with major businesses for a reduction on plastic wrapping.
recycling programmes
Invest in recycling programmes for material, clothing and small electrical goods.
LGBTIQA+
hate crimes
Greens will work with the Police and Crime Commissioner, Cambridgeshire Constabulary and the LGBTIQA+ community to set up Hate Crime Support Centres in St Neots for LGBTIQA+ as well as providing more support to existing centres across the county, including in towns such as Huntingdon where a Support Centre already exists.
proud of our diversity
We would also raise the Progress Pride Flag and Trans flags on important calendar dates, including LGBT History Month, Pride Month, Trans Day of Visibility and Trans Day of Remembrance.
Wellbeing improvements of trans and non-binary people
In the fight for LGBTIQA+ rights, trans and non-binary people have often been left behind. The Green Party would work to improve the wellbeing of trans and non-binary citizens by working with the community.