County Durham is a great place to live, but there’s an urgent need for change if we’re to protect the environment, lift people from poverty and make sure that everyone shares in the benefits of a greener way of living.

County Durham is classified as rural and most people live in the towns, villages and hamlets that are dispersed across the County. But public transport is currently failing! It does not enable movement of residents between villages and places of work and lack of provision has isolated non-car drivers such as older people. Elected Greens would push for public and active transport improvements, whilst recognising the need for private car ownership created by our dispersed settlement patterns.

Energy generation is at the heart of Durham’s culture and industrial history. Our rural County provides ample opportunity for us to harness renewable energy to power the transition to a green economy, creating jobs for local people and helping in the fight against climate break down.

Most of our houses are poorly insulated which wastes energy, hitting householders hard in the pocket on heating bills and damaging our planet. Elected Greens will prioritise the insulation of the existing housing stock.

We need functional natural systems to exist! Plants provide the very air we breath, but County Durham (and the planet) faces an ecological emergency. We will work with the Council to establish a Nature Restoration Network to steer efforts to restore nature on a Countywide scale.

County Durham is known for its rural / farmed produce and elected Greens will support local food producers and help expand local markets. We already have excellent examples of restorative farming in practice (e.g the Raby Estate) and we will work to roll out these practices across the County and nationally.

Greens strongly support the need for local people to be involved in the decisions that affect their lives. We will bring decision making closer to people by reforming the Council’s decision making procedures, advocating participatory budget setting, and strengthening the role of residents associations and Parish Council’s.

Your Green elected representatives fully acknowledge the reality of Climate Change and understand that we can’t exist in Durham without addressing the connected Climate and Nature emergencies. Addressing these issues is at the heart of all the changes we hope to make.