Parked cars are parking illegally and blocking pavements on streets around Lockwood

Councillors Andrew Cooper and Karen Allison are pictured with Lockwood residents Betty Hyland and Robert Brook on Victoria Road, Lockwood

Parked cars are parking illegally and blocking pavements on streets around Lockwood .

Green Party Councillors Andrew Cooper and Karen Allison met with residents of a Lockwood Residential Home who have had real difficulty getting about on their mobility scooters due to inconsiderate parking by motorists.

Councillor Andrew Cooper said,

“Parking around the Lockwood area is a long standing issue which is becoming more acute for local people now the new Kirklees College building has opened nearby. We were told when the planning application was submitted for the building that the college had a travel plan and there would not be a problem.  Now predictably there is a problem on a number of streets in the Lockwood area. What is really  needed here is permit parking scheme and enforcement of obstruction by vehicles that park on pavements. It is simply not acceptable that people using mobility scooters and parents with pushchairs have to use the road when there is pavement there for them to use safely. When Kirklees have established their new parking permits policy we will seek a scheme for the Lockwood area”

Euro Election Reflections

2014 Green Party Euro Candidates - Yorkshire and The Humber

It may have escaped your notice but I wasn't elected as Yorkshire and The Humber's first Green Party MEP in the recent Elections. What has been nice has been all the concern for my well being from all sorts of people. Thanks folks but I'm absolutely fine. I made it a personal rule not to start thinking beyond Polling Day and thereby raising my own expectations. Winning was clearly a possibility and a number of opinion polls gave us cause for optimism but the surge of media fuelled protest votes, for the Party which has had far too many mentions and coverage already, put paid to that.To avoid overusing the name of the Party for the purpose of this blogpost lets just call it 'Adolf'. A name I picked at random.

I enjoyed the campaign and attended lots of hustings meetings. Adolf didn't turn up to at least 6 meetings. They later claimed they hadn't been invited to these meetings which contradicted what I was told by the various organisations arranging the Hustings. The opportunity to take on 'the bad guys' in these meetings was one I got a real kick out of. My favourite moment was when one of the Tories asked what was stopping the Government passing its own policies to protect workers rights rather than being lead by the EU? All I had to say was 'because you're Tories' This got quite a few laughs but drove the point home about the value of EU rules in protecting people's employment rights,

Notre Dame College Hustings in Leeds (note Green Euro Candidate Kevin Warnes playing Dimbleby)

 Of the Candidates I met Labours Linda MacAvan and Richard Corbett were clearly committed people of calibre who were worthy winners, but the Adolf 3 are clearly going to be a complete waste of space and our money. Obviously I was pleased that the Greens beat the Lib Dems into 5th place but I actually quite liked Edward MacMillan Scott despite him starting every meeting by feeling he had to explain his defection from the Tories to the Lib Dems after the last Euros. He had a good sense of humour and he needed it having clearly backed the wrong electoral horse.

The role of the media in the Euro Campaign remains controversial. The OFCOM ruling effectively elevated Adolf to major party status and cut the Greens out of the vast majority of TV coverage and was a constant source of frustration. Clearly the result putting us ahead of the Lib Dems vindicates our claim that this was a 5 party contest not a four party one. We beat the Lib Dems and gained an MEP despite the media and I can't help wondering how different things would have been if we'd had the exposure we deserved. I believe there were very genuine attempts by the BBC regionally to give us what they regarded as fair coverage within the rules they set themselves (as guided by OFCOM) . I think we do however  have a very strong argument that those rules were flawed as they didn't actually reflect the support we were polling or indeed the end result. What I really wanted was to be included in the studio debates something Green Candidates in other regions did manage to do.

Being interviewed by Len Tingle at Stirley Farm at our launch

The real buzz  I got in the campaign was working with committed Greens from across the region working together in a common cause. I really felt we pulled together and had a pride in the message we were delivering and the principles we stood for. I focussed on drawing in resources from the EU, improving energy efficiency of buildings, addressing fuel poverty and meaningful jobs for young people in particular.The 6 Green Euro Candidates we fielded were all capable, worked well together and were a real pleasure to work with.

During the campaign we had several encouraging polls which showed us about where we needed to be to win a Euro seat in Yorkshire and The Humber. I even wandered into the count at Leeds Town Hall to be told by one of the Labour team that they thought I might get the 6th seat but unfortunately not. My main disappointment was not having the opportunity to push for an EU target to reduce fuel poverty. The great thing is that we got another Green MEP elected in the South West. Molly Scott Cato will do a great job and I'm really pleased for her and yes a bit jealous.

At Green Party Spring Conference with Lead Candidate for Eastern Region Rupert Read and Lead Candidate for the South West Molly Scott Cato MEP

There's no such thing as a free Mayoral Dinner

In the absence of an official picture of our Mr & Mrs Smith

I was pleased last year when the incoming Mayor Martyn Bolt said there would  be a ticket price to be paid for the Mayoral Dinner instead of the usual freebie. Greens had always made appropriate donations at the meal to the Mayors Charity but we know that it was usually a significant proportion of the total for the evening, from our one table. Last years Mayoral Dinner, though to be paid for, was well attended and we had a good group from Kirkburton Parish Council who attended and filled a table. There was however a 'principled' boycott  by incoming Deputy Mayor Councillor Ken Smith who didn't see why Councillors should have to put their hands in their pockets and off he and some colleagues went to have a curry elsewhere. Now Ken is up for Mayor he has used his Mayors privilege and reverted to the freebie meal again. So next Wednesday, when Ken and his consort Ex Kirkburton Conservative Councillor Christine Smith, are tucking into their chicken, Green Party and Valley Independent Councillors will be at Bar Maroc (the old Long Island Bar) having San Miguel Lager and eating their delicious vegetarian pizzas, at our own cost.

Green Party Profile Video - Andrew Cooper Lead Candidate Yorkshire and Humber

Photos from the Green Party's Yorkshire and Humber European Election Launch at Stirley Farm, Huddersfield

Adrian Cruden launches the Launch

Giving the Lead Candidate's Speech

Shan Oakes

Martin Hemingway

Vicky Dunn

Denise Craghill

Councillor Kevin Warnes

Interview with the BBC's Len Tingle

Stirley Farm's cows interrupt our interview

Post launch at the Cr8 Barn Stirley Farm

PRESS RELEASE - Yorkshire Greens Launch Regional European Campaign in Huddersfield

 

Yorkshire and Humber Green Party launched their regional European Election Campaign in Huddersfield today. Greens are in buoyant mood as a number of polls show them overtaking the Lib Dems and are now serious contenders for one of the 6 Euro MP seat in Yorkshire. The elections are conducted under proportional representation. All six Green Party candidates attended the launch at Yorkshire Wildlife Trusts Stirley Farm near Newsome. Councillor Andrew Cooper is the Green Party’s Lead Candidate and in with a good chance of becoming Yorkshire’s first Green MEP.

Andrew Cooper’s Speech to the European Election Launch

“We’ve come to launch our regional manifesto today in the Create Barn at YWT Stirley Farm because it represents an example of what we want to achieve for people and the homes they live in right the way across the Yorkshire and Humber region.

 It is an old stone building that has been super insulated to a very high specification. This skilled work has been carried out by a local company employing local labour. Imagine if this sort of refurbishment was carried out to the millions of old draughty homes across the UK. Millions of people would save hundreds of pounds in energy costs that would go back into the local economy. Thousands more people would be in worthwhile employment building a future where we have warm homes that are affordable to heat. Young people would have the realistic prospect of a skilled job that they can feel proud of and build a life upon.

You would think that this was so obvious a policy that all parties would be behind it. A revolution in reducing the demand for energy in our homes, yet the Coalition government have cut funding to the Energy Company Obligation so drastically that 264,000 homes that would have been insulated, this coming year, will now not be and the Energy Companies as a result of these cuts will be £245million/year better off (Good news for their profits though!)

If elected to the European Parliament I will use the MEPs office to draw in funding and resources to improve the energy efficiency of homes in our Region and provide free clean renewable energy for hundreds of thousands of homes.

Getting Greens elected to the European Parliament can be about much more than just a one off protest. We will promote positive and practical projects that improve homes and increase skilled employment.

The polls are looking good for us. Several now have put us ahead of the Lib Dems both nationally and particularly in the North of England. Here in Yorkshire and the Humber we have already have Councillors elected in Kirklees, York, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford and Scarborough and our local parties are fired up and fighting for every vote in this Proportional Representation Election.

Lets take the opportunity this election offers us and have a positive result on May 22^nd that actually makes a real difference to peoples lives and elect our Regions first Green Party MEP.”

ENDS

Busy day in North Lincolnshire this weekend

With Lincolnshire Greens in Sunny Scunny or Scunthorpe if you like

With Neal Jacques of North Lincs Green Party on the south bank of The Humber

Natalie, Vicky Dunn (Number 3 Candidate) Andy and yours truly in Brigg