Green Leader Natalie Bennett to Visit Buckhurst Hill

New Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett will visit Buckhurst Hill next Tuesday, 4th December 2012. She will use the visit to both highlight the need for better road safety especialy better and more road crossings such as that of Albert Road/Loughton Way/Palmerston Road/Roding Lane, 20 mph speed limits in residentail roads and better cycle ways.; and in the evening, will talk, as part of our Green Matters series, about the Green Party vision for Britain.  This will be open to all and takes place 7.30pm at Simply the Cafe, Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill.

Police Commissioner election 15th November

 The election of Police Commissioners is coming up this week, the Green Party have not put up a candidate simply because we do not believe the person running our police should be a political figure, especially not a party political figure. As it is it should be more a role for an Independent candidate. We therefore have a farce of an election. It happens on November 15^th when hardly anyone will come out to vote when it could have been held in the spring or summer. Which means he or she will not have many people backing them. There is no financial backing for election addresses which means independent candidates lose out immediately. When I write this nothing has come through my door. You have to go online to get any idea of what the candidates think.  The Green Party is particularly concerned about protecting community policing teams and the need for the police to engage with local residents and councillors about community safety issues.  Check out the candidates.http://www.policecrimecommissioner.co.uk/Essex

Smarter Transport

I would like to invite you to the second in our Green Matters speaker series, coming up this coming Tuesday at 7:30pm in the Simply Café on Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill (opposite Waitrose). Sian Berry is speaking on Smarter Transport - a topic important to us here in Epping Forest as we continue to develop our plans for cycle routes, our campaigns for a new crossing in Buckhurst Hill and "Twenty's Plenty", and prepare for whatever airport madness the government is planning for London.

Do please come yourself, and, importantly, put the poster up where you can and invite / drag your friends and family! The £3 charge includes a "free" posh tea or coffee from the café..

Tuesday November 6^th

Siân Berry(Green candidate for London Mayor 2008, Campaign for Better Transport)

“Smarter Transport”

Epping Forest Greens Policy on Planning

I will set out what local Green Party policy regarding development is. Greens recognise the need for some housing. We question the figures coming down from government as to the number homes needed to be built and ask Epping Forest District Council to do more thinking on this as we feel the growth in people predicted is too high and unrealistic. Greens also believe currently, as the Local Plan, is constituted development is pushed too heavily into one area, the South especially Chigwell; and also in Ongar. We also feel that development should be more evenly spread around the District to make less of a problem to individual areas. Any such development must be in areas where the infrastructure e.g.  Employment, schools, health service, water, transport and roads can cope or be made to cope. This in particular will be more difficult in a built up areas like Chigwell under current plans. As Greens we would encourage development that is sustainable, tasteful and with ample green space. Green Belt should be avoided but some green belt is more concrete than green these days and may therefore be allowable for development. 

Green Matters

Tommorrow we have our first Green Matters discussion:

Tuesday October 2^nd

Adrian Ramsay(former Deputy Leader of the Green Party)

“Sustainable Planning”

7.30pm, Simply Cafe, Queens Road.

£3 entrance fee covers a free cup of tea.

200 sign Petition

Greens have worked with local residents gathering signatures. Over 200 of you signed our petition for a change in the pedestrian phase at the crossings at the junction of Albert Road, Palmerston Road, Loughton Way and Roding Lane, which has been handed in to the County Council.  The Tory County Council, have made a mess of rescheduling the lights, meaning drivers queuing in Loughton Way and Albert Road have to wait longer! This does not solve the problem for pedestrians at all and has made matters worse for drivers on these roads!

Green Party Conference

Last weekend I attended the Green Party Conference and witnessed two inspirational speeches by our new party leader Natalie Bennett, and our new Deputy Leader, Will Duckworth. Natalie was a journalist, and Will is a councillor in Dudley. It was sad to see Caroline Lucas stand down as leader but she felt she should give someone else a chance to lead. How often do leaders do that in modern politics? She is now spends more time focussed on being the MP for Brighton Pavilion. Below are clips from Natalie’s speech:

Speech Part 1

Speech Part 2

Pot Hole Progress

Recently all of the pot holes  in Buckhurst Hill I have been campaigning  about  have at last been filled. Good News! However our roads and pavements are in a poor state across Epping Forest  and I still believe it would be cheaper in the long run for some roads to be resurfaced

Before

After

Epping Forest Planning Consultation Now on!

Epping Forest District Council is now having its consultation on planning and development in the area.  Follow the link to see what areas are proposed and make your comments. The more comments made the better they will understand local peoples views on this subject. The Link is here

Epping Forest asking for your views on development

From 30th July to 21st September 2012 Epping Forest Distrcit Council will be consulting us about future planning and further development. Follow the link: http://www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/news/2012/planning_our_future_your_choices.asp

If we want to preserve our open spaces we need to add our views.

27 votes away from first Green Councillor

Thank you to everyone who voted for myself, Len and all the other Green candidates in Buckhurst Hill. In Buckhurst Hill East we scored our best results and I came within just 27 votes of taking a seat on Buckhurst Hill Parish Council. It is very encouraging and will strengthen our resolve to fight for the seat. The new Parish Council is entirely Tory with all 11 seats taken by that party. I wish them well but it is unhealthy for democracy when one party has unlimited power with no one to hold them to account.

GREEN PARISH CANDIDATES: BUCKHURST HILL EAST.

Apart from myself there are four other candidates standing for  the Parish Council in Buckhurst Hill East. They are:

Tom Heenan. 

Tom works for Roding Valley Nature Reserve. He has lived in Buckhurst Hill for a vast majority of his life and studied Zoology at Bangor University. He is keen to protect our open spaces and together we have worked with the Parish Council on the Open Spaces Working Group.

 Dan Kieve.

Dan has lived in Buckhurst Hill almost his whole life and is a talented musician. He is currently completing a Masters in Environmental technology. He is keen that we get the most out of what we have.

Chris Lord.

 Chris has lived in the area for many years and is Head of Classics at Chigwell School. A keen cyclist he has been putting together proposals for improved cycle ways in between Buckhurst Hill, Loughton and Chigwell. He is also keen to make roads safe for all road users whether pedestrian, cyclist or driver.

Ben Wille.

 Ben is a teacher who is standing in Buckhurst Hill for the third year.  He is keen to improve public transport in the area and improve facilities for young people.



Green Buckhurst Hill West Parish Candidate 2012: Roger Neville

I would like to draw to voters attention that my father Roger Neville is standing for Buckhurst Hill West for the forthcoming Parish elections for Buckhurst Hill Parish Council.  He told me 'I thought I would stand in Buckhurst Hill West to give people an alternative to the highly party political events that have recently affected the Parish Council. Greens if elected will give an independent voice for voters on the Council. This is what Parish Councils should really be all about. Unfortunately this has not been the case in Buckhurst Hill since its creation in 1996 and especially recently. People are tired of the traded insults and I was appalled when the ruling group resigned for what seemed to be party political reasons.’ 

New Epping Forest Greens website

Check out the new Epping Forest Greens website. It has details of our policy aims and our list of District Candidates for Epping Forest and Parish Candidates for Buckhurst Hill.

Steven Neville for Buckhurst Hill West 3rd May 2012

This year in addition to standing as a Parish Councillor in Buckhurst Hill East I am also standing in Buckhurst Hill West for District Council. I got 30% of people voting for me in this ward at a Parish by-election in December.

I have lived my whole life in Buckhurst Hill. I am a committed Christian who cares passionately about the environment and improving the local area. I joined the Green Party as I felt it took environmental issues and social justice issues most seriously and felt let down by the coalition government on so many environmental issues.

I am a hard working campaigner who even though not yet elected has worked with  neighbourhoods getting local issues such as pot holes sorted where elected officials had failed. I have worked with local residents campaigning for better pedestrian crossing at the

Roding Lane

/

Loughton Way

traffic lights. I have set up a pilot Neighbourhood Watch scheme in

Rous Road

and hope to extend this further into other roads. I am chairman of Epping Forest “20 is Plenty” which aims for all residential roads to have 20 mph speed limit as most accidents happen in residential roads. If I am elected I can get so much more done such as

Fight for 20 mph speed limits in residential roads,

 Better youth facilities,

Safer road crossings,

Free insulation for home.

Many former Lib Dem voters have seen their party brake promises on the NHS, EMAS and tuition fees and they have witnessed the local party treating the voters with contempt by just giving up their majority position by resigning from the Parish Council en masse without providing the electorate with any real explanation it is time to vote Green to provide real opposition to the Tories in Buckhurst Hill and in Epping Forest.

2012 Local Election Broadcast-Make the Difference

LIb Dem Len defects to stand for Greens

Steven Neville welcomes Len Martin on board.

I would just like to mention that experienced former Lib Dem Councillor Len Martin has followed others in Buckhurst Hill East and come over to The Green Party. Len, who will be The Green Party candidate for Buckhurst Hill East in the forthcoming District Council Elections, told me that “I left the Lib Dems when they joined in coalition with the Tories in government.  I felt betrayed because the Tories stand for so many things the Lib Dems claimed to be against and I have found my home in the Green Party who would not have ended tuition fees, would have kept the Education Maintenance Allowance and not cut vital public services. They stand for much of what the Lib Dems were supposed to stand for and locally I have been impressed by their team.  I also felt betrayed totally when the local Lib Dems let the Tories take over the Parish Council. It was weak and spineless, and voters were treated with no respect whatsoever. The Lib Dems are finished in Buckhurst Hill. I urge people who want to make a real difference in Buckhurst Hill to vote for me and the Green Party on 3^rd May 2012.”

Lib Dems on the Parish: The Truth

I was saddened indeed when I read the latest Lib Dem Focus. The lies in this literature smack of a desperate party out of touch with voters.

Firstly the reason they left Buckhurst Hill Parish is not because they could not get things done because of the Tories. They had the majority and could have got things done; they chose not to. Even if we take them at face value it comes across as petty and childish and shows that they were only interested in running the Parish for their own ends, not for the people of Buckhurst Hill. They were also incompetent in their handling of staff, which led to numerous claims against them which they lost, each driving the reserves down to the minimum. They left us all in the lurch for party reasons and who’s to say they would not again?

They also claimed to have saved the 549 bus but this was not under threat. It smacks of desperation that they pretend to you the voter that this is so. The 549 needs extending, true, and I have been lobbying on your behalf Transport for London. They are treating you the voters as fools and I know you are not that.

My promise to you the voter is that my Green colleagues and I will put Buckhurst Hill first. We will work to improve the finances and make sure you are protected from any severe cuts. We will work to improve the area and represent you rather than party interest. It is important you have a strong say in matters of Buckhurst Hill including our future direction. I will work to make sure all we increase the clout of Buckhurst Hill.

More and more people have told me they will voting Green in May as the Lib Dems have betrayed the trust of Buckhurst Hill,and they us see as The Real Alternative to the Tories, a party that has been working for the good of Buckhurst Hill, and they like what they see.

Caroline Lucas Speech to Green Party Spring Conference 2012

Caroline Lucas Green Party Spring Conference Speech 2012 Part 1

Caroline Lucas Green Party Spring Conference Speech 2012 Part 2

Urgent Need for Parking Review in Buckhurst Hill

Quite a few people were unhappy with the last Parking Review and felt it was not thought out well enough. Those most angered by this review are those of

Station Way

who were left out altogether. This has had the effect of commuters using

Station Way

as a parking bay, and trade has dropped substantially. Meanwhile there is a campaign by us to petition the County to include Buckhurst Hill in a review which will include

Station Way

. These are all locally owned businesses which we feel deserve the County’s full support. Meanwhile the Tories blame a Lib-Dem County Councillor for eating up the budget by calling for a review in Epping that was allocated for reviews elsewhere. The fact is, there is a lack of money due to government cuts, and the County seemed to have no contingency fund to make sure Buckhurst Hill got the review this year after much delay. Now they say a review will happen 2012/13. Let’s hope they are true to their word, and

Station Way

is included.

Accident Highlights a Dangerous Crossing

The recent accident at junction of  Palmerston Road,  Loughton Way, Roding Road, and Albert Road highlights what a dangerous junction it is and more and more people have signed our petition for pedestrian phase to be brought in here.