Daniel Goldsmith, Green Party candidate for Feltham and Heston in the forthcoming By-Election, said “Scientists agree that we need urgent action to reduce emissions to prevent catastrophic global warming in the future.  Recent research from the WWF suggests that up to 90% of the UK's electricity could come from wind, solar, tidal and other sustainable sources by 2030 without the need for nuclear power.   Instead of strong action, the government has taken £250 million away from hard pressed families to fund a big cash boost for some of this country's most polluting industries and also rushed  through major cuts to the flourishing solar industry”

The march is planned to coincide with the UN climate talks ("COP 17") which are in Durban,  South Africa.  The march highlighted that 7% of the world's population produce 50% of the world's emissions and that 7% of the world's emissions are produced by 50% of the world's population.

Daniel continued, “This is the fourth time I have been on this march.  In that time little has been done to address this increasingly serious issue.  We are running out of time and we urgently need concerted local, national and international action.  One million Green jobs should be created in the life of this parliament to insulate homes and build alternative sources of energy.”

Scientists now agree that climate change caused by emissions of Carbon Dioxide from burning fossil fuels, and other sources, are a serious risk.  In the Fourth Assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (‘ IPCC’), an independent United Nations sponsored body, in February 2007 scientists stated that climate change is “unequivocally happening” and that they are 90% certain that it is due to man-made emissions.  They concluded that temperatures could rise up to 6 degrees by the end of the next century if no action was taken.  Such a change is likely to have catastrophic impact on food production and sea levels, as well as leading to the extinction of many species.  

Daniel said "It is a pleasure and a privelege to have been selected to stand for the Green Party.  The people of Feltham and Heston do have a real choice in this By-Election.  Since Caroline Lucas became the first Green Party MP I find we are taken much more seriously.  The Green Party's policies will close the gap between rich and poor and ensure a good and healthy environment."

Daniel is an IT consultant and lives in Chiswick with his wife and two sons aged 13 and 11.

Daniel continued "It is disappointing that the election has been called so quickly after the death of Alan Keen.  We would have preferred to have longer to scrutinize the performance of the Coalition Government and to debate alternatives to the cuts. 

I live in Chiswick and can get to Feltham Town centre in less than thirty minutes by train so I won't be charging expenses for a second home.  A railcard will be fine for me.

I will highlight the issue of Air Pollution which is worse than World Health Organisation limits in parts of Feltham and Heston, and call for action to resolve this. 

The Green Party are determined to close the gap between rich and poor and we will fight to raise the Minimum Wage in London to £8.30, the current level of the London Living Wage, so work pays and no parent needs to do two jobs just to make ends meet.

The Green Party is opposing cuts to local services. The fear of crime ruins lives and I will demand that police cuts in Feltham and Heston are put on hold until after the riot inquiries and the Olympics. 

We will help make London more affordable for ordinary people.  We will bring in a new deal for private tenants and landlords to stabilise rents and give families more security.  And we will build more affordable homes."

Joined by Green Party members from Hounslow and Richmond outside one of the monitoring stations which have shown that the air quality in South West London is worse than EU legal limits and World Health Organisation guidelines, Goldsmith said: "Pollution kills and the communities of Hounslow, Richmond and Kingston need prompt action from the Mayor and the Council to address this problem."

EU limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which results from road transport, power stations and industry and can lead to reduced lung function, increase asthma in children and contribute to early death, have recently been breached at several places in Hounslow and Richmond.

In addition, levels of small particles (PM10s), which cause cancer, heart and lung diseases and lead to premature death, have been found to be above World Health Organisation guidelines across the two boroughs. PM10s cause serious problems since they are small enough to get deep into the lungs, where they cause heart and lung diseases.

The demonstration follows news that if air quality does not improve, Britain could be fined £175 million by the International Olympic Committee.

Goldsmith said: "Pollution in Chiswick is worse than Cranford, which is close to Heathrow, so we can't just blame the Airport.

"Unless we admit there is a problem we are not likely to solve it. More must be done to advise local residents, including boards outside each monitoring unit displaying the latest readings."

"Air pollution is one of the many local issues that led me to get involved with my local Green Party and eventually to stand for the Assembly elections. As a Green candidate, the focus of my campaign will be highlighting issues that affect local residents and businesses and holding both local authorities and the Mayor to account."

Jenny said: "Daniel is an experienced campaigner who puts the communities of the area first. He is an asset to our party and to London and is the ideal representative for the constituency of South West London on the London Assembly."

We believe that the document should be strengthened to explain the urgency and severity of the issue. 

We believe the scope of the strategy should be:  

• To reduce with specific measurable targets the emissions for which Hounslow Council is directly responsible, for example, Hounslow Homes heating

• To advise, inform and educate to drive reductions in emissions from the whole of Hounslow

 The policies in the current draft are not sufficiently ambitious and needs to convey the need for a holistic approach in all aspects of human activity - energy efficiency in the home, localisation of food production, the development of habitable spaces which take into account the long term impact of transport policy and construction.

Specific policies proposed

We have proposed the following polices:

1.       Implement a systematic programme of high quality roof and wall insulation, double-glazing and draught exclusion in its social housing sector.  The council should start migrating all social housing to the high international standards for insulation, for example, Passivhaus.  Some houses are designed using this standard so they need no central heating at all.  It would be a good idea to have a trial project for one block of flats. 

2.       Investigate alternative energy sources including solar panels, solar water heating, heat pumps and combined heat and power units for all social housing.

3.       Make a street-by-street offer to private residents/tenants of a similar programme reducing the cost through economies of scale.

4.       Ensure that where feasible planning rules should ensure the highest standards, for example, mandating appropriate levels of insulation.

5.       Influence planning decisions by other bodies.

6.       Facilitate planning applications for measures to reduce carbon emissions, for example, solar panel installation and electric car charging points.

7.       Work with local colleges to provide training/apprenticeships in green technology.

8.       Provide incentives to local business to reduce excess packaging at source and to recycle waste

9.       Provide incentives for green businesses to locate in Hounslow, particularly in the regeneration areas.

10.   Extend the 're-use' aspect of recycling at local recycling plants by means of a warehouse to store household goods and furniture that can be re-used by residents and retailers for onward trading.

11.   Work with schools on making their buildings energy efficient and adopting 'green' curriculum which would see pupils as agents in the education of parents as well as giving them a role in managing the school environment in a sustainable way. This to be launched through a Climate Change and Education Conference open to teachers, student groups, governors and green community organisations.

12.    Set aside land in larger parks for community allotments and on under-used land such as railway embankments, derelict building sites and common areas on estates.  We believe this should be included in the Open Spaces strategy.

13.   Set aside land in parks for wildlife conservation and encourage schools to set up wildlife gardens

14.   Consider switching on street lights for short periods and otherwise when needed with motion detectors, a switch on the base of the light or operated by a key fob.  Many street lights are switched on all night, even though they are only needed for a fraction of that time.  Also ensure that all streetlights are designed so that the light is reflected onto the area to be lit, rather than being wasted by being reflected upwards. 

Offers

We are very happy to help  in the following ways:

Practical demonstration of improvements possible

We note that many of the houses in Hounslow are very similar.  Several of us would be happy to take advice from the council and complete initiatives in our homes including insulation, solar heating, solar panels and new boiler and would then be willing to act as a show house for others in the area.  If this initiative was supported by the council we believe it would be more credible.  We are also sure that others could be found across Hounslow to do similar activities.

Education

Members of our group would be prepared to talk or lead discussions at schools or colleges to explain the science of Climate Change and actions that could be taken to minimize the change, or to participate in a Climate Change and Education Conference.

Discussions

We would be very happy to join further discussions about the Strategy.

Members of Hounslow Green Party joined over 250,000 other demonstrators at the TUC “March for the Alternative” to protest against the scale and pace of the government cuts, which fall more heavily on the poorest in society and are motivated by ideological as much as economic rationale.  Caroline Lucas, pictured in front of the Hounslow Green Party banner, joined the marchers.

In Hounslow cuts have included a reduction in day centres used by old people from four to two and a reduction in the budget of the Youth Services.  An original proposal to close libraries has been set aside after public complaints, but the libraries are still not safe since there is still a shortfall in the budget.  Also, selling part of Gunnersbury Park to build houses on has still not been ruled out.

Nationally cuts have lead to higher tuition fees for students.   

The Green Party believes the way to tackle the deficit is to create jobs.  A Green New Deal would create large numbers of jobs quickly through a massive investment in renewables, energy efficiency and better home insulation for hundreds of thousands of households. 

These measures would be paid for by:

• A “Robin Hood Tax” on international financial transactions which would generate £20bn a year even if it was only introduced in the UK alone
• Cracking down on the tax evasion and tax avoidance of the wealthiest
• Scrapping the replacement for the Trident Nuclear missiles which could save £100 billion over 30 years
• Recalling British troops from Afghanistan
• A tax on bank profits to cover the cost of Government intervention to support the banks financial crises.

The day was marred later by violence from splinter groups not part of the main march.  The main march itself was peaceful with no trouble with the police.

The marcher’s main demand is to create a million new jobs to cut Carbon emissions to zero by 2030.  The march was organised by the Campaign against Climate Change.  Thousands joined the March including not just the Green Party but Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, the World Development Movement, the Climate Rush and others including many local groups and trade union branches.

At the end of the march demonstrators were addressed by speakers including Caroline Lucas, MP, the leader of the Green Party, who made an impassioned plea for more government action.  She was critical of David Cameron’s failure to attend the important climate change talks in Cancun and the MPs lack of urgency about this issue.  She was fed up that only 27 MPs bothered to sign a recent Early Day motion about cutting Carbon emissions.  She reminded demonstrators that this was the seventh Climate Change March, and that time was running out to address the problem before Carbon emissions changed the climate irreversibly.

Here is a list of all our candidates.

Dr John Hunt - Syon

Dr Diane Scott - Syon

John Bradley - Syon

Tony Firkins - Brentford

Daniel Goldsmith - Chiswick Riverside

Martin Bleach - Chiswick Homefields

Anthony Agius -Turnham Green

Tom Beaton - Isleworth

Nicola Evans - Hounslow South

John Ferris - Isleworth

Toby Holmes - Hounslow Central

Ian Rushworth - Heston East

Winston Morston - Hounslow West

Dr John Hunt - Syon

John has campaigned on many issues relevant to the people of Syon, particularly in relation to the expansion of Heathrow.

While at primary school he began with the safety of London buses.  Since 1988 he has demanded better standards in healthcare.  In the 1990's he submitted reports on air pollution to the Heathrow Terminal Five public enquiry, and monitored air quality with local schools.  In 2007 whilst protesting at the Heathrow Climate Camp about the impact of the airport expansion on climate change he was arrested, though later released without charge.  He has campaigned against the Third Runway and joined protests at the airport.

John has lived in Syon since 1987.He grew up in Hillingdon; studied in Brighton, Colchester, and London; and gained a Ph.D. in computing.  He worked as a software specialist for companies large and small in London, Essex, and Switzerland.  Later he worked as a consultant for several years.

However, appalled by experiences of poor healthcare, he retrained as a nurse.  He spent four years with his Patient Forum to improve hospital care at the West Middlesex hospital.  Through a spell working in home-care, he improved monitoring of local services.  John now has responsibility for End of Life Care at Hounslow Local Involvement Network ("LINk") as he cares deeply about this.

John has also been selected as our prospective Member of Parliament for Brentford and Isleworth.

Dr Diane Scott - Syon

Dr Diane Scott has campaigned against the expansion of Heathrow airport.  She travelled by train to Copenhagen to take part in the peaceful demonstrations there during the December Climate change talks. She is also campaigning against the proposed application for a Biofuel power station in Southall.  The campaign led to the unanimous rejection of the proposal by Ealing Council in September 2009, but the fight continues as the decision has been appealed.

Diane has a PhD in Immunology and has worked in medical research.  She feels strongly that patient care should be a much higher priority of the NHS and that far more provision should be made for mental health care. She also believes in the importance of local communities and the development of social networks to improve the quality of city life.

She will be retiring from full time research in the Spring and will be able to devote her time to representing the Syon community.

John Bradley - Syon

John Bradley has previously stood as a Green Party candidate to represent local people at local and national level. Having worked in the construction industry as a Commercial Manager for 30 years he presented evidence at the Terminal 5 inquiry attacking the economic case for airport expansion. John has been active on green issues and in local affairs for 20 years most recently highlighting the abuse of expenses by the local MP.

He is currently chair of Friends of Boston Manor Park and an active member of his local allotment association. "Growing your own food is not only one of the most satisfying things you can do it's cheaper than going to the gym and allows you to appreciate the natural world - even in the city."

In 2005 John went back to university where he gained a first class honours degree in Classics and is currently studying for an MA.

John lives in Upper Butts in Syon.

Tony Firkins - Brentford

Tony Firkins joined the Green Party four years ago after he went to vote in the local council elections and found no Green Party candidate to vote for. Now he is standing to ensure that there is the Green choice in the Brentford ward for the local elections in May.

Since joining the Green Party, Tony has taken an active part in campaigns against runway expansion at Heathrow and climate change.

Tony lives in Brentford with his wife. He enjoys cycling and walking in the local open spaces provided by the Thames, Grand Union Canal and parks.

Tony works mainly from home, designing systems for a major mobile phone network operator.

Daniel Goldsmith - Chiswick Riverside

Daniel is strongly opposed to the proposed sale of 5.6 acres of woodland in Gunnersbury Park.  He believes this precious green space should be safeguarded for future generations.  He has campaigned against climate change and the runway expansion at Heathrow.  If elected he would encourage 20 mph zones in Hounslow.  Studies have found that the  numbers of killed or seriously injured children are reduced by half in the zoned areas.  

Daniel qualified as a Chartered Accountant and currently works as an IT project manager specialising in installing financial systems.   

Daniel lives in Chiswick Riverside with his wife and two sons.

Martin Bleach - Chiswick Homefields

Martin's interest in Green politics grew as he understood the risks mankind is taking with the environment.  "Living around the A4 and close to Heathrow, Homefield residents are constantly reminded that we need to change the way we live.  The Green Party's campaign message of fairness means caring for our environment - our childrens' future - but also for our neighbours and our society."

Martin has lived in West London for 20 years - 10 of them in Chiswick.  This will be the third time he has stood in Homefields.  He works as a technical specialist on IBM zSeries computers. 

Anthony Agius -Turnham Green

In the 1980's and 90's Anthony Agius campaigned against plans to widen the North Circular Road across Ealing Common, which would have had a devastating impact on Chiswick if they had gone ahead. He is concerned about the impact of traffic on pedestrians and cyclists. He wants to see the 30 mph limit reduced to 20 mph throughout the borough. Islington council have recently done this, acting on a proposal from the Green Party councilor there.

Anthony's hobbies include singing in a local choir and gardening on his allotment.

Tom Beaton - Osterley and Spring Grove

Tom believes in:

• Road safety - 20 mph on most local roads
• Council spending - stop funding Hounslow's HM magazine, which shamelessly promotes the ruling party and its leader
• Schools - stop the talk about choice. I think most people want their local school to be a good school so that they are happy for their children to go to it. If you agree, vote Green.
• Oppose ALL airport expansion, not just 'in our back yard'
  

Hounslow Green Party has launched their Local Manifesto.  Key points are:

1. We will fiercely oppose a third runway at Heathrow.

2. Increase the use of 20mph zones in Hounslow. These have been proven to reduce casualties, particularly for children. We recognize that they are not suitable for every road in Hounslow and will involve local residents in these decisions.

3. Put forward a robust case to London Transport for Piccadilly line trains to stop at Turnham Green tube station throughout the day.

4. Ensure that walking and cycling become safer and more pleasurable.

5. Fight to keep neighbourhood policing from cuts.

6. Match Ealing Council's funding for Gunnersbury Park to prevent the sale of 5.6 acres of woodland in the park.

7. Adopt the 10-10 campaign for a 10% reduction in Greenhouse Gas for Hounslow Council in 2010.

8. Hold Thames Water accountable for odour and mosquitoes from the Mogden Sewage works and force them to take any remedial action necessary.

Dr. John Hunt, our candidate in the Syon Ward said "We believe that the public services the council provides are fundamentally important to the well-being of our communities.  They are part of our essential infrastructure.   We should be proud of them and fund them properly.  Our policies will make the Borough of Hounslow a safer and more pleasant place to live and work in."

The full manifesto is set out below:

Transport

Heathrow Airport

As Greens we are totally opposed to a third runway at Heathrow.  Noise from the airport already blights the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in West London. Pollution is too high near the airport and any expansion would draw in more traffic.

We want to see the quality of people's lives improved. Let's clean up the air, not fill it with fumes from aviation.

The Green Party will promote good jobs in this area that don't depend on the fortunes of Heathrow as an airport. 

The Green Party is very clear that airport expansion is not the way to a better future.

20 mph speed limits

We will increase the use of 20mph speed limit zones in Hounslow.   These have proved to save young children from death and injury.  In December 2009 the law changed so that councils can put in place 20 mph limits in a whole zone without also needing chicanes and speed-bumps.  We recognize that they are not suitable for every road in Hounslow, and we would ask local residents first.

Over the last two decades, a number of 20mph zones have been established in London with speed limit signs.  Studies have found that the numbers of killed or seriously injured children were reduced by half in the zoned areas.  Casualties as a whole dropped by 42%.  Pedestrian injuries were reduced by a little under a third and cycling casualties by 17%.

Turnham Green tube station

Nationally Greens will work for a properly integrated national public transport network.  As part of this work we will put forward a robust case to London Transport for Piccadilly line trains to stop at Turnham Green tube station throughout the day.

Walking and cycling

We will ensure that walking and cycling become safer and more pleasurable.  Streets should be public spaces, not race tracks.  We will enhance local cycle routes and add more cycle racks near shops and stations.

We will spend more money on sustainable transport officers to encourage walking and cycling and carry out cycle training in schools.

Crime prevention

Safer neighbourhood teams have been one of the most direct and visible improvements in policing for Londoners. As part of your council tax you already pay to get a dedicated team of one sergeant, two constables and three community support officers walking the streets in your ward. This "1-2-3" model was introduced as a minimum for every ward and some town centres.  We will fight to keep this model from Conservative cuts by the Mayor of London.

Environment and planning

Gunnersbury Park

The Green Party will oppose the sale of 5.6 acres of woodland in Gunnersbury Park to fund the refurbishment of listed buildings there.  Ealing council have passed a motion to prevent residential building on the park and have approved a £5m capital budget to refurbish the listed buildings.  We will match Ealing's funding.

We will ensure that selling parkland is not considered as an option in the future.

Climate change

We will increase the Greenhouse Gas reduction target from the target of 8% set in the Local Agreement for 2008-2011 to 20%.  We will adopt the 10-10 campaign for a 10% reduction in Greenhouse Gas for Hounslow Council in 2010.

Recycling and waste disposal

We will hold Thames Water accountable for odour and mosquitoes from the Mogden Sewage works and force them to take any remedial action necessary.

We will improve the penetration of the existing recycling scheme through advertising and making recycling easier for people who live in flats. 

We will oppose further expansion of incinerators. 

Business

We will support small, local shops through planning policies such as business conservation areas. 

Leisure

We oppose the sale of school playing fields to developers.  It is very important that young people have access to proper sports facilities.  We will encourage youth clubs and improve sporting facilities so young people have something to do.

We will support local allotments, and investigate if more land could be made available, to reduce waiting times.

 Consultation on the future of Gunnersbury Park - Hounslow Green Party:

Summary:

I am writing on behalf of Hounslow Green Party to object to the proposed development in Gunnersbury Park as presented in "Gunnersbury Park Options Appraisal" (Jura Consultants and LDN Architects, June 2009). 

The report does not consider Hounslow and Ealing Councils' failure to meet their obligation to maintain the park and the historic buildings in their care.  By assuming 'No Blame', the report is able to conclude that the Councils should not be financially responsible for rectifying the situation and that some other source of funding has to be found. 

We also object to the consultation process based on this report which presented only two extreme options:  

• to fund the correction of Hounslow and Ealing's failures by selling part of the park for development - as recommended in the report, or
• to allow the buildings to continue to deteriorate - an option explicitly rejected in the report because it is unacceptable to park stakeholders.

This gave respondents no choice, and a consultation without choice is invalid.  The results of this consultation should not form the basis of any decisions made by the Councils.

Grounds for Objection:

The principal reasons for objecting to the proposals are:

•1.        The park is currently protected by the Metropolitan Open Space Act (1881).  In the spirit of this Act, we expect all green spaces in London to be protected.  As the population of London, and West London in particular, increases, protecting parks and green spaces is of paramount importance; they are vital for the health and wellbeing of all residents.  This sale would set a dangerous precedent for all of our parks.  This is not just about these 400 trees or this park, but about all Hounslow's, Ealing's and London's green spaces.  We object on the grounds of the Metropolitan Open Space Act.

•2.        The park is also protected by the Rothschild Deed of Covenant, which entrusted this estate for public use.  This Covenant prohibits building private property in the park.  We do not accept the building of housing on the park in the 1920's, or other technical changes to the Covenant since, as grounds for further breaches. We object to this breach of the Rothschild Deed of Covenant.

•3.        This sale of land is justified because it is assumed sufficient funding will not be available from other sources.  Rather than being the first choice, sale of green space as a funding option should be rejected as a matter of policy.  We believe the Councils have a duty to seek funding elsewhere, or to modify the proposals so that less funding is needed.

•4.        The additional parking spaces will cause further loss of green space.  We believe modern developments should plan to provide public transport links for users rather than encourage car use.

Green Party Alternative:

While we object to any loss of green space, we are open to a wide range of potential uses of the historic buildings, provided they are of benefit to the public as required by the Rothschild Deed of Covenant.

We propose the Councils adopt a less ambitious way forward, prioritising the refurbishment of buildings over a longer period.  Smaller amounts of funding could be sought for individual buildings / projects from both Council and other sources.  Reviews of the success and failure of early projects will feed back into later ones.

We appreciate that the sports changing facilities have been as badly neglected as the historic buildings and need replacing.  But they do not need to be moved to a new location, with the additional expense and loss of green space implied.  We would like to see more sports facilities in the area, but parkland should not be sacrificed to obtain them.

The Future Governance of the Park:

This park has been seriously neglected for many years.  Current governance and management structures have clearly failed and need to be replaced.  Long-term maintenance programmes, backed by legally binding funding commitments, need to be agreed as part of any restoration project.  

15^th October, 2009

Dr John Hunt

    On behalf of Hounslow Green Party

    c/o  89 Airedale Avenue

    London  W4 2NN

The motion stated "This council is committed to preserving the borough's parks and green spaces and enhancing their role as providing amenity to the community." 

"This council is committed to improving Gunnersbury Park but rules out selling parts of the park to developers to help pay for it. "

Dr John Hunt said  "the Green Party have opposed this development in principle from the start.  The Greens are totally opposed to funding council expenditure by selling off park land. Don't believe those who say we are not a rich society - it is just a question of priorities. And what is more important than our green spaces?  It is good to see that despite the earlier intransigence of local councillors common sense seems to be prevailing.  However, Hounslow have not passed an equivalent motion, so we must remain vigilant. !"