Ecofest Public engagement
20th June 2023 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
On Friday 16th June, members of County Durham Green Party attended Ecofest, a sustainability festival organised by students at St. John’s College, Durham University. Our secretary Liz Wright, parish councillor John Chapman, co-comms officer Richard Simpson and member Matt Scholar manned a stall to promote the Party and to listen to the concerns and ideas […]
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Achievements Local elections
11th May 2023 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
The Green Party of England and Wales has attracted almost 800 new members since the 2023 local elections. This year’s local elections saw the Green Party achieve its best ever results. The Greens gained 241 seats, breaking the previous record the party set in 2019. There were no local elections in County Durham this year. […]
Cycling Health
3rd May 2023 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
County Durham residents are being given the opportunity to discover (or rediscover) the joys of bike riding as part of a Bike Month Challenge. The county council has linked up with lovetoride.net/uk to promote a month-long campaign to get people back in the saddle. Green county councillor and keen cyclist Jonathan Elmer said: “Cycling benefits […]
Local elections
5th April 2023 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
National Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer was in the region on Tuesday (4th April) to support candidates standing in the local council elections on 4th May. Her morale-boosting visit was a recognition that the Party sees the North-East as a realistic target for building on past successes by winning more seats on our councils. Although […]
Achievements Durham Green Party
17th February 2023 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
County Durham Green Party is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month (February). Since it formed in 2013 it has grown to 240 members. There are four Green Parish Councillors and the local party celebrated the election of its first County Councillor in 2021. Nationally, the Green Party of England and Wales celebrates its 50th Anniversary […]
Caroline Lucas Pollution Supporting communities
10th February 2023 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
County Durham Greens have been working with Green Party MP Caroline Lucas to push the Government to find the cause of the massive die-off of shellfish and crustaceans off the North East coast. Crab and lobster populations, from Teesside to as far south as Scarborough, have been decimated since September 2021. Some scientists and fishermen […]
Food
27th January 2023 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
Our friends at Durham University invite you to listen to a talk on what the increasing consumption of plant-based foods will mean for the UK. Dr Emma Garnett will give the talk, entitled The Steaks Are High: Increasing Consumption of Plant-based Foods in the UK, as part of a series organised by the University’s Psychologists […]
Pollution Press release
22nd November 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
Conservation volunteers in Teesdale and County Durham Green Party are calling on Northumbrian Water to fix a pumping station which is leaking raw sewage into Deepdale Beck near Barnard Castle every time it rains. Martin Bacon of Teesdale Conservation Volunteers says he has complained to the water company and the Environment Agency on several occasions […]
Climate Cost-of-living crisis Opinion piece
21st September 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
Liz Truss by photographer Simon Dawson – OGL 3 The country has experienced an incredible amount of change in a short space of time. Liz Truss was appointed our new Prime Minister on 6th September by a Head of State who passed away two days later. All this in the middle of an unprecedented cost-of-living […]
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Health Pollution Privatisation
22nd August 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
The consequences of a decision by the Conservative Government back in October 2021 is now having a devastating impact on our rivers and coastal waters. Back then, Tory MPs – including the three representing County Durham constituencies – voted down a Lords amendment to the Environment Bill which would have made it illegal for water […]
Pollution Supporting communities
19th August 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
County Durham Greens are supporting Consett residents in their battle to stop a waste-to-energy incinerator being built in the town. The developers, Project Genesis Ltd, are currently Appealing the decision by Durham County Council to reject the proposal. The Appeal hearing began on 9th August. Several County Durham Green Party Members joined residents for the […]
Consultation Green belt Housing Planning rules
17th August 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
Plans to build 470 houses on former Green Belt land near Durham City have been branded woefully inadequate in addressing the climate emergency by County Durham Greens. Members have submitted strong objections to the plans. A decision on the plans is listed for October. Fiona Shenton, Coordinator of County Durham Greens, says: “The plans put […]
Consultation Pollution Transport
14th July 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
County Durham Greens have expressed concern over the watering down of new proposals for the licensing hackney carriage and private hire licences. In our response to the county council’s public consultation on the new proposals we ask why they have been weakened since the previous draft. “Why, given Durham County Council’s commitment to reduce emissions […]
Health Pollution
23rd June 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
City of Durham Green parish councillor Rupert Friederichsen has led the party’s participation on Clean Air Day with a stall in the Market Place promoting solutions to tackling air pollution. The evidence base behind Clean Air Day, the UK’s largest campaign on air pollution by Global Action Plan, reveals the weight of scientific evidence on […]
Achievements Housing
30th May 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
City of Durham Parish Council has adopted a report outlining potential green solutions for a major housing development planned on the outskirts of Durham. The Sniperley Park development, if approved by the Planning Authority, will create 1,550 homes in the north-west of the city. Now, Durham Parish Council has drawn up a list of low-carbon, […]
Housing Policies
17th May 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
A £250 billion investment plan for local authorities is needed to insulate and upgrade 10 million homes. The Green Party has also called for a £320 emergency winter fuel payment for every household as energy bills surge, and the restoration of the £20 uplift to Universal Credit and doubling it to £40 per week, paid […]
26th April 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
With local elections looming on 5th May in many parts of the region, it is encouraging to see how far the party has come in a short time and to look forward to adding more Green councillors on election day. Our own Green Party Durham County Councillor Jonathan Elmer, who is also co-ordinating our election […]
Ecological emergency Press release
30th March 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
Councillors will be asked to declare an ecological emergency in County Durham next week following a Green Party initiative to do more to stop the decline of wildlife and natural habitats. Green Party County Councillor Jonathan Elmer has been the driving force in raising concerns about the ecological state of the county. He addressed the […]
Achievements Ecological emergency
14th March 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
Green county councillor Jonathan Elmer is leading calls to declare an ecological emergency in County Durham. Near the end of 2021, Jonathan addressed the full Council to highlight the ecological plight of the county. As a result of his address, a report on the state of Durham’s biodiversity has now been prepared and agreed unanimously […]
Durham Green Party Elections
17th January 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
The idea that the UK’s progressive political parties – the Greens, Labour and the LibDems – should form electoral alliances to oust the Tories has been around for some time. The recent North Shropshire by-election re-energised the conversation – not because the progressive parties formed an anti-Tory pact, but because voters took matters into their […]
Democracy Green Party Protests
7th January 2022 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
The Government is trying to take away our democratic freedom to protest. This month, the Police, Court Sentencing and Courts Bill (the Policing Bill) reaches a crucial stage in its passage through Parliament. The Green Party is calling for action to defend our civil rights against several pernicious late amendments to the Bill which would: […]
Durham GP members Planning rules
16th December 2021 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
Party members are being asked to get involved in a raft of planning strategies in the county. Durham County Council (DCC) is currently consulting on draft masterplans for Newton Aycliffe, Peterlee, Stanley, and the ‘3 Towns’ of Crook, Willington and Tow Law as part of its Towns and Villages programme. Together with a new regeneration […]
Durham Green Party Housing Planning rules
8th December 2021 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
Two housing companies have made outline planning applications for the Sniperley Park development north of Durham City before a masterplan for the site has been agreed. Green County Durham Councillor Jonathan Elmer said: “By putting in planning applications before the masterplan has been adopted, the housing firms are obviously hoping to avoid having to comply […]
Durham Green Party Green Party Press release Small Business
2nd December 2021 / 16th October 2024 by richardsimpson
County Durham Green Party is calling for measures to help the ‘backbone of our local economy’ green their operations and improve employee welfare Ahead of Small Business Saturday on 4th December, County Durham Greens are calling on both national government and Durham County Council to implement a series of measures to help small and independent […]
