GLA Results

The Ken versus Boris show certainly boosted the turnout in Croydon and Sutton. Occasional CONSERVATIVE and LABOUR voters came out to back their party. This caused the LIB DEM vote to squeeze but not the GREEN PARTY'S! Our vote share actually increased to 5.17% -which meant the deposit was also saved!

Under the London-wide proportional system: again our vote held firm returning our 2 Green Assembly members (AM's). The LIB DEM's again experienced the squeeze and now only have 3 AM's!

In the Mayoral election, Sian Berry's vote also bucked the Red/Purple V Blue squeeze, resulting in the GREEN PARTY's share actually increasing.

A big thank you to all those that voted Green and contributed to the campaign. Onward and Upwards!!!

Croydon and Sutton
Steve O'Connell (C) 76,477 (44.08%, +7.30%)
Shafi Khan (Lab) 33,812 (19.49%, +1.31%)
Abigail Lock (LD) 32,335 (18.64%, -1.49%)
David Pickles (UKIP) 9,440 (5.44%, -5.25%)
Shasha Khan (Green) 8,969 (5.17%, +0.83%)
David Campanale (CPA) 6,910 (3.98%, +1.00%)
Richard Castle (Eng Dem) 4,186 (2.41%)
Zana Hussain (Left List) 1,361 (0.78%)

C maj 42,665 (24.59%)


2.53% swing Lab to C Electorate 384,162;

Turnout 173,490 (45.16%, +9.13%)

Siân and the Giant Peach

Observer Backs Greens

From today's Observer Editorial

There is a stronger case to be made for casting 'first preference' votes for Siân Berry, the Green candidate. The party has already used its toehold on the London Assembly to wring green concessions worth millions of pounds out of the mayoral budget. A respectable score for Ms Berry, an intelligent and articulate advocate of her cause, would send a clear signal to whoever wins the mayoralty that London cares about environmental policy.

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Tags greenparty

Green Tory Tactical Voting Tip

Did you know that a vote cast for the Tory Party in the London-wide List is a wasted vote? This is because the Tory Party will inevitably win more than their fair share of constituency members, so none of their list will get elected.

This means that Tory voters can vote both Blue and Green in the same election, by voting Tory in the constituency and voting for the Green Party in the London-wide list.

Meanwhile Real Greens in Sutton should vote Green Party in the London list and for Green Party candidate Shasha Khan in the constituency vote.

London Election Broadcast

National Election Broadcast

Green Party Manifesto for London

Key Green policies include:

* 20p off all bus and off-peak tube fares - cancel £500 million east London roadbuilding scheme and invest in public transport instead
* Free insulation available to everyone;
* Insist all employers pay a Living Wage of least £7.20 an hour
* More affordable housing with a 60% target for all new homes
* Cheap loans for renewable energy generation
* Support for small business, against big retailers, with 50% of space in new developments to be small units for local businesses, at affordable rents
* People-friendly speed limits - 20 mph everywhere except a small number of major routes
* Tube PPPs and rail services in London brought back into public control
* No airport expansion
Download the full manifesto (pdf)

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Tags sutton, greenparty

Green waste- where we stand

Copy of letter sent to local media:

The level of debate on the current spat over garden waste collections has been disappointingly negative and perhaps over-simplistic.

The Green party agrees with Councillor Hall that ‘free’ waste collections are nothing of the sort, and that it’s a good idea to encourage people to take more responsibility for their own waste where possible. It might not be politically popular but global events should make it clear to us that we cannot rely on politicians to deliver everything for us- people have to take a lead too. He’s also right to remind us that throwing rubbish in landfill sites is not just wasteful but very expensive. We are producing a lot more waste these days and it makes sense to refuse excess packaging, and and re-use whatever we can, before we recycle, or put material into the waste stream. Composting is easy and makes good sense, returning organic matter to the soil system. There may be a risk of increased fly-tipping but the last time Sutton Council dabbled with home composting they made a terrible hash of it, delivering unwanted bins - most of which themselves went to waste, to everyone. The relatively small charge for green waste collections this time might encourage people to think more positively about composting.

Sutton Council haven’t made their task of selling this scheme any easier by the huge salary hikes for senior officers – that’s a policy I would not like to defend. Also as an active composter myself I do have some concerns about the woody waste from shrubs and trees which don’t compost easily. This one needs more thinking about perhaps. We do however need some more imaginative thinking on waste- and encouraging more home composting is part of that thinking.

Sutton - The Sustainable Suburb of the Future

A trailblazing initiative to create the UK’s first zero-carbon sustainable suburb was launched on 25 February in Hackbridge, located in the north of Sutton borough.

“Hackbridge Week” from 25 February to 1 March comprised a series of workshops involving people who live and work in the area (including BedZED residents and BioRegional), Council Officers and Councillors, architects and developers getting together to discuss ideas on how to design the sustainable suburb of the future.

The overall objective is for Hackbridge, and ultimately Sutton, to become the UK’s first ‘sustainable suburb’ - creating a vibrant community where people want to live and work, that protects the local environment and meets the needs of local residents both now and in the future.

Hackbridge Week followed on from a "Visioning" day (held in April last year) when the initial ideas were discussed. As a resident, I attended on that day – and had been looking forward with great anticipation of what was to follow.

While it has taken 10 months for the follow-up event, I did feel that the “Hackbridge Week” events were very good. Very well structured and with a feeling of real, meaningful consultation (although this could well have been improved by local residents having been given more notice of the events).

Consultative workshops were held on several topics, including:

Planning and Design of New Build
Natural Habitats and Wildlife
Culture and Heritage
Zero Waste
Sustainable Transport
Local and Sustainable Materials
Community Planning
Local Business Involvement
Zero Carbon
Sustainable Water
Equity and Fair Trade
Increasing Civic Awareness
Health and Happiness
Local and Sustainable Food.

and ending with a feedback event on the final day

Sutton Council Leader Cllr Sean Brennan said, “People living and working in the area are true champions of the environment and it is their ideas, their energy and their enthusiasm that will help transform Hackbridge and ultimately Sutton, into the UK’s first zero-carbon sustainable suburb.”
“With the BedZed development, this area has long been a showcase for green living and Hackbridge Week is an opportunity for the community to decide how we make Hackbridge a better place for everyone. We intend to be blaze a trail of sustainable living for others to follow.”


The findings from the different events and workshops will form the basis of a Sustainable Action Plan for Hackbridge. The plan will clearly lay out:

what the goals are
who will be involved
what the short, medium and long term actions are
how One Planet Living in Hackbridge will be achieved.

The Council; say that everything in the plan will be based on what people have told them at the events – and invite more ideas by logging onto the One Planet Living website at: www.oneplanetsutton.org/login

George Dow