The Eastern Region Green Party campaign team for the June European Elections will visit Southend on Saturday 31st January. I will be joining colleagues for the day as part of the next leg of my "listening tour" of the region which aims to listen to the views and experiences of constituents, to be able to help them more effectively when elected.
We will be meeting people in Southend High Street and elsewhere in the area.
Many people feel they are not being listened to by politicians. We want to show the Greens do want to listen. I hope to learn from this continuing 'tour' about the aspirations and concerns of people all over this great and diverse area from Peterborough to Southend, and from Hemel Hempstead to Great Yarmouth … especially, I hope to hear of people's experiences of the financial crisis and of the rising cost of living.
The Government and Southend Council could be responding to the economic slump by doing more to promote green jobs - jobs in small businesses, public transport and investing in green measures such as home insulation. We would also like to see empty shops rented out to locally based small businesses - that would provide desperately needed jobs, stimulating the economy without harming the environment.
One of the key concerns we have already heard about from local people is the level of development in Southend. Whilst it is right that towns need regeneration and affordable housing, this should be done on brownfield sites whenever possible. Green Councillors have consistently opposed overdevelopment, loss of greenbelt and building over gardens.
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