Our 2021 manifesto: A greener future in a town which works for all.

On 6th May this year you will elect local Councillors to sit on Rugby Borough and Warwickshire County Councils for the next four years. For too long Rugby has been taken for granted by Labour and the Conservatives. Our Green Party candidates are people who are already working to make the Borough better, being involved in your community groups.

The Environment in its Broadest Sense

Our message is about the environment in its broadest sense. Not just the natural environment, but the built environment and our social and cultural environments. These environments are under serious threat from developers. Our open spaces and wildlife are being sacrificed to speculative building development well beyond the rquirements of the Local Plan. Green Councillors will demand planning decisions to protect the Borough and County while arguing for family homes at affordable prices.

Rugby’s air quality is deteriorating and our health is at risk. We need to act.  Vote Green Party to ensure you have representatives to challenge the Council on the most important issue in Rugby for years ahead.

Nationally and Locally, Where Greens Lead Others Follow

Elected Green Party members have shown what a difference we can make. Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP, has shown that it is possible to stand up for what is right on the national stage.

Green Party Councillors on Warwickshire County Council are already tackling everyday issues from helping new business start ups, to reducing council excess, to ensuring fair wages for young council employees, showing that a Green voice can make a difference.

But not just in Warwickshire,the Green Party is on the rise throughout the West Midlands. From a mere 3 Councillors in 2010 we have shot up to 29 today, improving life for residents across the region. Don’t let Rugby be left out. If you want your voice to be heard on Rugby Borough Council then vote for your local Green Party candidates in May.

Rugby Green Party has a vision of a confident thriving town with an economically and ecologically sustainable economy. Here are the main points of our plan:

Sustainable Local Economy and Employment

• Work with local businesses and trade unions to build on the engineering expertise that exists in Rugby to produce items for the Green Energy sector.
• Open an indoor market with affordable fees for market traders.
• Promote ‘pop-up’ shops.
• One year Business Rate relief to new independent traders with less than six employees.
• Fund advisers to enable small businesses to gain necessary support at start up.

Tackling Climate Change

• Create both a Cabinet level Portfolio Holder and a lead officer for Climate Action and Biodiversity. These would be required to publish a quarterly report on progress in meeting climate change and biodiversity targets.
• Immediately convene a Citizen’s Assembly to source idea on steps forward and get the maximum possible buy-in from the residents of Rugby.
• Commit to make all community and public buildings in the Borough as self sufficient in energy as possible via, for example, the installation of ground source heat pumps, solar roof panels, etc.

Sustainable Local Communities

• Cut energy bills by providing free insulation and solar panels and self energy producing items for all rented homes & Communities in Rugby including grants to owner occupiers.
• Helping people have warm, safe homes by bringing empty homes back into use.

Transport

Public Transport

• Increase the frequency of bus services. These services need to be subsidised to a level affordable by everyone.
• Demand bus and train services are integrated and modern digital bus stops are built so that the travelling public can be sure what bus is going to turn up and when.
• Require that all bus companies use fully electric or hydrogen powered vehicles.
• Reopen railway stations where practicable and push for the proposed new Rugby Parkway station to serve the east of Rugby and Houlton.

Cycling

• Correct the appalling lack of cycling infrastructure in the Borough. This will mean creating new facilities such as secure bike storage in the town centre.
• Create a fully integrated cycle network across Warwickshire. As a priority, make the currently dangerous A428 between Rugby and Coventry safe for cyclists.

Motoring

• We support a responsible and safety-conscious approach to driving and will work towards implementation of a 20mph limit in all residential areas.

Strategic Regional

• Ensure that Rugby is properly integrated with West Midland Mayor Andy Street’s £15 billion metro and light rail plan. This may involve, for example trams or a light railway running between Rugby and Coventry.

Environment

• We will protect our open and public spaces from speculative developers and ensure that all residents have unrestricted access to them wherever possible.
• We will demand action on air quality in the Borough, focussing in particular on traffic and call for a continuous station to monitor the Cemex plant.
• Litter and flytipping is becoming a major problem in the borough. We will seek to cooperate with local communities to fund litter pickers and install litter bins where they are absent or have been removed.
• Green councillors will ensure that Rugby plays a full part in the global reduction of plastic usage through such initiatives as Refill for water bottles and public standpipes.

Open and Accountable Politics

• We believe in open politics and will implement a system of live reporting from council meetings to ensure that decisions affecting residents are transparent.
• A campaigning council which challenges national governments on budget cuts and pushes for new powers to invest in local services.

Our 2021 manifesto: A greener future in a town which works for all

 

Vote Green on May 6th so we can work for you!!