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. 

Huntingdonshire Green Party affirm that trans men are men, trans women are women and non-binary genders exist and are valid. We support the right for trans and non-binary people to access services and spaces that match their affirmed gender.