May Newsletter

Election Results Special - May 2002

	The result of the Council elections on May 2nd may not have been a great day for democracy but for the Green Party across the Borough it was an excellent achievement. As expected, the focus of the campaign turned into the overwhelming battle by many voters to depose the Liberal Democrats. There was a lot of tactical voting and consequently we did not win any seats this time around. But in spite of this we achieved some great results. In Fulwell & Hampton Hill Monica Saunders gained 15.4% with a minimal campaign In St. Margarets & North Twickenham, where we concentrated our greatest effort, we achieved 14.9% overall, with Judy Maciejowska gaining 18.2% of the vote		Overall we gained an average of 12.4% across the wards where we contested We beat Labour into fourth place in all but one Ward (Labour lost all their seats) Unfortunately our electoral system means that some good councillors lost their seats while many of the bad guys are still in place. The huge Tory majority may mean that we have jumped from the frying pan into the fire, but local people now know they have a clear choice between the soft centred Tory/LibDem drivel and the Green alternative of sustainability and social justice. This was the first time since 1990 that we had contested local elections, but our success and support has grown immensely since we reformed in 1998. Thanks to the hard work and generosity of members and supporters the Green Party is now unquestionably the third force in local politics.
Brunel University
	Brunel University want to sell their campus at St. Margarets and move all their activities to Osterley and Uxbridge. The site is alongside the river and within a conservation area. It has been an educational site since the late 19th century when Maria Grey moved her ladies' college of education to the area, and provided employment and resources for the local community since then. Richmond Council has prepared a draft Planning Brief that identifies the site as primarily suitable for housing		while denying the need for community or educational facilities. Meanwhile they are building a junior school on the playing fields of Orleans Park School, 1½ miles away in East Twickenham. We are very concerned about this and have made submissions to the council and the Education Department recommending a primary school on the Brunel site. This has received a lot of support from local residents and we are in the process of setting up a public meeting to allow local people to air their views and tell councillors just what they want to see on this prime site.
Twickenham Riverside
	We continue to support the Twickenham Riverside Terrace Committee in their campaign to keep the old swimming bath site in public ownership, and to create landscaped terrace gardens. The updated plans are available for viewing on the community websites. As you may know, the plans for the Lib Dems'		preferred Dawnay Day scheme for the site are currently with the Secretary of State, who is deciding whether or not to call them in. However the new Tory Council had promised that, if elected, they would abandon the Dawnay Day proposals so we must keep the pressure up to ensure that they stick to their word.

	The Old Richmond School House site		Other Issues
	This was recently the Majestic Wine Warehouse in North Richmond but has now been demolished. John Norris is working with a local residents group to influence a planning inquiry that will look at proposals for a large office block on this site. The area is suitable for much needed affordable housing, and residents are seeking a mixed development on the site.		Using the planning process is a very effective way of getting Green issues implemented at local level, but we are concerned about other services that are not receiving adequate attention from the main political parties. Many local people have expressed anxiety to us recently about the poor facilities and administration of social services in the locality. If you have specific experience in this area we would be very pleased to hear from you.
E-mail discussion group
	We have recently set up an e-mail discussion group for Richmond & Twickenham Green Party members. This enables people who want to join in with local debates, or simply to follow the discussions to do so without being subject to unwanted e-mails. New members who give us their e-mail addresses will receive an invitation to join the list. If you have not received one or would like to know please contact John Norris. At the moment this facility is only available to members.
Next meeting
	Our next meeting will be in the upstairs meeting room at The Cricketers pub, Richmond Green, Thursday June 6th at 7.30 p.m. We will be considering how we can move forward on the issues outlined here, as well as planning our activity for the next few months. Do come along, take part in the discussion, and give us your views.

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Last modified: 3 June 2002 by Mike Bangham