Robert Nixon, Vice Chair of North Oxfordshire Green Party responds to Save Bicester.

The North Oxfordshire Green Party has taken note of the concerns raised by the Save Bicester Group. Below, Robert Nixon, Vice Chair and Bicester resident, responds to the questions raised at this page and in doing so hopes that residents will realize that the Green Party can provide a real alternative to the policies of the incumbent district councillors.


In a recent video Robert, and district council candidate Roger Nixon, discussed issues facing Bicester and most importantly Green solutions to these problems. You can view it on Youtube here.


Question 1
The fact that there was an inadequate level of public consultation is certainly of concern. The Green Party are in favour of all important decisions such as these being appropriately discussed with those they will affect. Parish councillors should be involved in dialogue with district councillors regardless of their respective political parties and parish and district councillors should be obliged to consult with the public as much as is possible/practical. Appropriate structures should be put in place for effective communication between district and parish councillors and the public to ensure that the public are not left to rely on third party websites such as www.theyworkforyou.com to hold their elected politicians to account.

Question 2
The Green Party is a fiercely democratic party and we support decisions being made at the lowest level of Government possible. In our manifesto we have stated that “The District Council should encourage more Parish and Town Council local polls where difficult decisions have to be made”.


If Green councillors are elected to Cherwell District Council we aim to give residents a voice in decision making instead of the current arrangement where changes are imposed on the community with little or no public consultation.


What may also be of interest is that the Green Party will not apply a political whip to its councillors, this allows our councillors to make decisions in the best interests of the local people rather than having to toe the party line.
We would support local and central Government officials having to take a much more serious view of residents’ concerns.


Question 3
I will address the individual principles in turn, but I do believe they fit with Green Party policy and principles well:
  • The North Oxfordshire Green Party supports this principle.
  • The North Oxfordshire Green Party is campaigning for an increase in the proportion of affordable housing provision in Bicester. The Conservative Party has attempted to redefine the term ‘affordable’ and have counted houses that are well out of reach to low-middle income families in their house building figures. We also are actively challenging decisions made by the council on where housing can be built. The Gavray Meadows site is an example of the kind of development that Bicester doesn't need.  As one of the few large Greenfield sites left within the ring road, it’s vital that we balance the need for housing with provision for green spaces within the community.
  • Efficient, affordable public transport is a key element of any future sustainable society. The Green Party have been actively campaigning to retain bus subsidies that are now being cut by the county council and were the only party to vote against these cuts. These savage cuts have also adversely affected children's centres and adults social care services. The fact that residents will continue to pay their taxes and be affected by these cuts - which are being handed down to councils from central government to fulfil George Osborne's purely ideological desire to achieve a budget surplus by 2020 - is abhorrent to put it mildly. Electing Green councillors gives residents strong voices acting in opposition to these cuts.
  • Prioritising brownfield sites, along with respecting the views of local people, are issues that have been addressed with regard to housing by our candidate for Bicester South and Ambrosden, Roger Nixon. In particular, the voice of local people must be heard on issues such as the building of houses on precious Greenfield land like Gavray Meadows. The campaign to save the meadows has gained much support from locals and we believe their views must be taken seriously or the council risks making a mockery of the democratic process. As the Green Party, consideration for the welfare of the environment is constantly at the top of our agenda. Other species that share this planet with us don’t have a vote in our elections, which is why we aim to be a voice standing up for the protection of the environment and the promotion of maintaining and increasing biodiversity.
  • To create a Green economy that serves the 21st Century we must support sectors that have seen dramatic Government cutbacks in recent years. A prime example of this is the solar industry. The Conservative party’s complete disregard for the environment is borne out in their energy policy. They commit to costly energy projects (Nuclear and Fracking etc)  which claim to ensure our energy security, but end up having the opposite effect. The solar industry can provide for a large proportion of our energy needs given the right support. Focusing on Bicester, support for a wide range of sectors is vital for the future opportunities of the community’s young people who face unprecedented struggle with the cost of living.
  • As I think is covered well in all the other points, Greens support putting the environment at the forefront of consideration when planning new developments and infrastructure to serve the needs of current residents, as well as new ones that may be attracted to live in our community.


Question 4
As with question 3, I will answer each point in turn:
  • A central part of a Greener future is opposing the idea that economic growth should come before people and planet. Green Party policy aims to put people and the environment first and measure the success of a community on other factors such as the happiness of the population, not just narrow economic factors which the “growth” rhetoric reinforces.
  • We believe that housing should be built according to local demand with consideration of the implications of housebuilding on the local environment. The population growth stated is clearly not in step with current infrastructure projects, meaning that people moving into these houses won’t have access to common local amenities and services. The Green Party also wants to see a more creative approach brought forward to tackle the housing crisis, for example, initiatives to reduce the number of empty homes should feature much more prominently.
  • When planning new developments, a Green council will weigh up the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the developments with alternative options whilst taking into consideration public opinion. Houses need to be affordable but also have to be placed within reach of convenient travel connections to places of work. This is particularly important when considering the need to reduce the number of private vehicles on the roads. If we can make public transport a more appealing option for people in terms of their commute -assuming changes in the way public transport operates - we can make it cheaper for everyone.
  • If elected to Cherwell District Council, Green councillors would make sure that whenever a new development is proposed the infrastructure needed for the development to thrive is planned accordingly. What we have seen in Bicester with recent new developments is new infrastructure being “added on” to the development after it has been built, leaving at best a crossover period where new residents are left without local amenities, at worst long delays in any sort of proper additional infrastructure being built leaving existing schools, doctors surgeries etc struggling to cope.
  • The Green Party passionately believes in creating jobs which suit the community. Job creation should not be made to suit arbitrary targets, rather it should provide for skills in areas of most need. In particular, we have taken note of the proposed new warehouse development to the south east of the town. This, we believe, will not provide the jobs that Bicester requires to meet the needs of residents. Part of the way in which we can reduce climate change emissions in the town is to minimise the distance people have to travel to work. This can be achieved by creating jobs which suit the community, instead of forcing people who live in the town to commute out to work. The new warehouse development will only provide a minimal number of low-skilled jobs, not the highly-skilled, professional careers that the town needs. We believe that the town could be much better served by a science park or similar development which would attract a larger volume of highly skilled jobs.
  • As mentioned previously, The Green Party advocates for decisions to be taken at the lowest level of Government possible involving the views of residents as much as possible. We oppose any private investment partnership which may seek to put corporate profit ahead of the best interests of local people.


A Note about Consultations
Myself and other candidates feel it is appropriate at this time to point out how consultation with the public would be different under Green councillors.


Consulting the public on issues of concern often features in just about every local party manifesto, and for good reason. The North Oxfordshire Green Party want to take this a step further. For too long local council administrations have “consulted” on issues where there is reasonable cause for public concern and have then continued with their original plans. If this is allowed to continue, residents will feel increasingly disengaged with local politics. We already have a crisis of participation in our local democracy and when residents aren't listened to this just exacerbates the problem. If elected, Green councillors would not just simply hold consultations and send these results to third party polling agencies, they would serve to give residents a voice on issues that matter to them. We are able to do this far better than any of the other major political parties, as we don’t apply a political whip to our elected members, meaning that councillors can vote in a way that is in the best interests of those they represent.


Robert Nixon
Vice Chair, North Oxfordshire Green Party


John Haywood
Chair, North Oxfordshire Green Party


Roger Nixon
Green Party District Council Candidate for Bicester South and Ambrosden
Green Party Parish Council Candidate for Bicester Town Council South East Ward


Ian Middleton
Green Party Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Banbury
Green Party District Council Candidate for Bicester North and Caversfield


Fiona Mawson
Green Party District Council Candidate for Bicester West


Dr Nick Roesen
Green Party District Council Candidate for Bicester East


Jenny Tamblyn
Green Party District Council Candidate for Fringfords and Heyfords



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Bicester Development: A Green Perspective

Greens Pledge to Defend Local Services and Amenities North Oxfordshire