2 November 2014
Democracy declined Green Cllr Jonathan Essex took a motion for greater accountability and transparency to Surrey County Council recently.
In Surrey, Conservatives chair the committees that scrutinise what the overwhelmingly Conservative Council does. The Green motion proposed that the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee should not be a member of the ruling party and that the Chairs and Deputy Chairs of all Select Committees should be allocated in proportion to the number of councillors from each party. This is good practice according to the Local Government Act, and would enhance the transparency and accountability of decision making on the Council.
Sadly, the motion was defeated 34-20. The leader of the Conservative backbenchers said 'thank you for your offer but we don't need your help'!
North Surrey Green Party Inaugural MeetingWe would like to invite you to the first General Meeting of the North Surrey Greens.
Please come along to the Staines Community Centre, meet your fellow Greens and begin the journey towards the 2015 General Election, which promises to be one of the most fascinating for many years. Anything could happen! But what we can make happen is a strong showing by our candidates, so that it is the Greens who break the stranglehold of the tired old parties at Westminster, and not UKIP!
We’ll be standing two parliamentary candidates in Spelthorne and Runnymede, with the intention of establishing the Green Party’s presence in North Surrey. We’ll also talk about campaigns we could mount that are particularly relevant to our area. All your ideas are welcome.
The meeting is on Wednesday 12 November and will start at 7.20pm and end at 9.15pm. Light refreshments will be available. Staines Community Centre (Thames Street, Staines upon Thames, TW18 4EA – Directions and map) is a five minute walk from both bus and train stations between Debenhams and Staines Library. The Riverside Car Park opposite costs £1 after 7pm.
The meeting is open both to Green Party members and supporters.
Contact Rustam Majainah (rusgm@aol.com) for more information.
Image: Staines Bridge by Motmit / CC BY-SA 3.0
Green Belt campaignNearly 90 people dropped into Mole Valley Green Party's ten mile walk on Sunday 12 October to protest about housing threats in the Green Belt around Dorking. We're grateful to the singers who led a chorus of "Linden Lea" by the fields which inspired Ralph Vaughan Williams' music. We also thank all the speakers – on local history, landscape, wildlife, how to get involved in community decision making, and the various specific campaign groups that have emerged.
Interestingly only 2 days later Mole Valley District Council decided to scrap the whole housing and travellers' sites plan (subject to confirmation by its Executive). But the threat hasn't gone away - we wait to see what they're planning next.
"Are You Being Heard?"Mole Valley Green Party held a public meeting on this topic on 27 October. The idea was to probe why consultations are sometimes partly a sham and whether anything can be done about it.
We had presentations from the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, who oppose the potential expansion at the airport (more about GACC below); the Cherkley Campaign, who oppose a billionaires’ golf club being built on beautiful Green Belt Land which ostensibly has protection under the AONB and other schemes; and the newly formed CHIP (Community Hub in Pippbrook) campaign to retain Pippbrook House (owned by the District Council, but no longer being used) in Community Ownership of some kind (see the campaign's Facebook page).
Jonathan Essex, Green county councillor, gave a thoughtful summing up at the end.
Image based on megaphone by Takumi Tsutaya / CC BY 2.0
Woking updateThe Woking Branch will begin canvassing local residents over the coming months to find out more about residents' issues in Woking. If you would like to help out, please email John Parkin (at johnparkin100@hotmail.com).
The next meeting of the Woking Green Party Branch will be on Thursday 6 November at 8pm in The Sovereigns Pub on Guildford Road in Woking (Directions and map). If you would like to come, please email John Parkin (see above).
No new runwayGreens are playing a leading role in campaigns against a new runway at Gatwick or Heathrow.
The Airports Commission is due to consult on options for a runway at Heathrow or Gatwick shortly. Yet there is clear evidence that no new runway is needed at all. And a new runway at either airport would mean increased noise, traffic, pollution in Surrey, as well as massive building of housing and infrastructure.
Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) is holding a protest meeting on Saturday 22 November at the Apple Tree Centre, Ifield Avenue, Crawley RH11 0AF (Directions and map), doors open at 1pm and the meeting starts at 2pm. Do come if you can. More details on the GACC website.
Read this article by our Green MEP Keith Taylor.
Sign a petition against a third runway at Heathrow.
Pub Quiz in Redhill – 14 NovemberReigate & Banstead Green Party will be holding its next pub quiz in Redhill on Friday 14 November at 7.30pm.
The format will be similar to last time, and the quiz will feature a variety of interesting and challenging questions on different subjects, as well as a picture round and a mystery interactive round.
The venue will be The Junction in Redhill town centre, which serves Asian-style food at reasonable prices. Orders will be taken before the start of the quiz, and the meals served during the half-time break. (Food is, of course, not compulsory!)
The quiz is open to members, supporters and friends. Please see http://rbgp.org.uk/event/pub-quiz/ for more information.
More events in Mole Valley
Equal air time for the GreensYou've probably read about the broadcasters' proposal to give air time to UKIP leader Nigel Farage, but not the Greens, in the run up to the general election. With the Greens out-polling the Lib Dems in the Euro elections, and having the same number of MPs as UKIP, why aren't the Greens being offered equal air time with the other parties in the leaders' debates?
Please sign the petition here and join the Facebook campaign.
CND fundraising concert – 6 DecemberCND, one of our affiliate organisations in Reigate & Banstead, is holding a fundraising concert in December.
A fun evening of traditional and contemporary British and Irish folk from acoustic group Rusty Wizzard and nautical songs and shanties from a capella group The Full Shanty. The audience will be invited to join in the choruses.
There will be a bar, but no food.
Entrance is free but a donation to CND's “No to Trident” campaign fund will be appreciated.
Saturday 6 December 8pm till 10.30pm. St Joseph's Church Hall, 122 Ladbroke Road, Redhill RH1 1LF (Map).
A new scheme called Eco-Rewards is currently being rolled out across Surrey to reward people for using a green form of transport when travelling to and from work. Find out more.
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