These are our Epsom & Ewell candidates in the County Council elections on 4 May. They are standing on a manifesto which prioritises:
Please support your Green candidate!
Theresa has lived in Bookham for over 25 years. Surrey is the most wooded county in England with small towns and villages where a sense of community still prevails. Development is inevitable but with Green policies the environment can be protected. In the process, more local businesses and jobs can be created in the building of affordable housing, more and better social care, waste disposal and re-cycling, food production, management of the countryside and access to it. Better public transport would reduce both car use and the pollution it creates. New times need new approaches and thinking more creatively and inclusively.
I’ve lived in Epsom for 10 years and share local concern about inadequate social care, insufficient affordable housing, traffic congestion, air pollution and diminishing green spaces and hedgerow. They’re all interconnected. The pursuit of growth needs reimagining so that it is shaped by social and environmental demands, rather than chased at their expense. Any temporary advantage gained through closet deals can’t uproot austerity drives; rather, it keeps them on the agenda. In contrast, prioritising people and their environment engenders development as it targets sustainable change in our quality of life, and the planet’s. With your support, I seek to join councillors already striving for more engagement, accountability and openness in Council decision-making.
Susan McGrath is a counsellor and therapist living and working in Surrey. Until recently she was a Student counsellor at the University of Surrey. "I am standing as a candidate because of my concerns about climate change and the fact that all of the other political parties are paying lip service to the issue rather than really tackling the problem. It seems to me that it requires tough leadership, vision, commitment and the will to address this pressing challenge - all of which the Green Party embodies. It also goes to the heart of all other issues including economics, immigration and social care. If we cannot care for the most vulnerable in our society how will we care for the Earth that supports all life?"
I grew up in Ewell and am now raising a young family in Surrey. Having worked for nearly 20 years in social care I believe our public services should be protected and strengthened rather than cut and privatised. I also believe we should be working towards creating more secure, affordable housing, better public transport within a fairer economy. We need to move towards fossil free, affordable energy to reduce pollution and protect the climate, both locally and globally.
David Kidd has lived in West Ewell for 18 months and has worked as a lecturer at Kingston University for the more than 6 years. David works with the Hogsmill River Partnership to monitor and improve the health of the river which is an important community resource. Issues of concern include development pressure on Green Belt land, affordable housing, rising air pollution, traffic congestion and its associated air pollution, increasing demand for school places, and the maintenance of clean and safe outside spaces.
