Lancashire County Councillor and Candidate for Lancaster Central
Gina has lived in Lancaster for 40 years. She lives in the city centre with her partner and her two adult sons. She has a background in Public Health in the NHS and project management in local charities including in drug and alcohol treatment.
Gina is one of our longest serving councillors, having been first elected to Lancaster City Council in 1999 over 25 years ago. She also has the distinction of having served in 3 levels of government – City Council, County Council, and at the EU parliament as a North West region MEP.
Gina has a wealth of experience of campaigning for fairness for residents and improving our local environment, including pushing for local road safety improvements and for better cycling and walking provision, and supporting all our local urban and rural communities and our green spaces. She enjoys sorting local problems and acting as a champion for vulnerable people and those who most need help.
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Lancaster City Councillor
Since 2013 – Marsh Ward – climate action cabinet member – deputy leader of green group
Gina is on the Cabinet, holding the Climate Action portfolio. This includes flood prevention, low carbon energy generation and energy conservation, climate emergency response, retrofitting and electrification, EV charging and active travel (implementation and monitoring).
Gina’s council work has included working for investment for safe cycling and walking, and public transport, and funding for improvements to Lancaster’s historic and cultural heritage.
Gina is Deputy Leader on the management team of the Green Group on Lancaster City Council, and in that role also sits on the local party Executive Committee.
In addition to her work on the Councils’ policy making processes, Gina also deals with a high number of specific case work issues.
1999-2007 – Cabinet Member for External Affairs
Gina was instrumental in Lancaster becoming a Cycling Demonstration Town in 2005 which attracted £1.5 million of Government funding into the area.
Lancashire County Councillor, for Lancaster Central, since 2013
The Lancaster Central Division on the County Council includes all of Marsh ward and parts of Castle, Scotforth West as well as Glasson Dock, Thurnham & Cockerham.
SOME OF GINA’S RECENT SUCCESSES ON THE COUNTY COUNCIL (first elected in 2013):
HEALTH
Gina has recently pushed (February 2025) for action on the diagnosis and treatment options for people suffering from ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). She presented to the Health Scrutiny Committee (of which she was formerly a member) the case for the Integrated Care System to commission a needs analysis as the first step in improving vastly underfunded services. This followed her motion to full council in May 2024
Gina has been an advocate for keeping NHS services in the public sector and is promoting the Green Party policy against NHS privatisation.
She also pushed for keeping Lancaster’s local hospital in the New Hospitals Programme for the region (this funding has now been pushed back by decades by the new Labour Government.)
SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT
Gina pushed the County Council to introduce Warm Hubs in libraries and other community buildings which resulted in a programme of funding which still continues. Gina first called for this in July 2022.
CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENT ACTION
In October 2021 Gina presented a motion to Full Council for supporting Lancashire’s low carbon businesses – including a call for a comprehensive carbon tax with a citizen dividend. This resulted in the County Council agreeing to write to the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson MP and Alok Sharma MP, President of the COP26 conference (and to notify all of Lancashire’s MPs). The letter asked them to propose a fair and proportionate international fiscal framework which recognises the complexity around carbon embodied goods and services, to ensure that everybody is supported to transition to Net Zero, and to continue supporting and invest further in Lancashire’s growing renewable and clean technology industries, to ensure reduction in carbon, more high skilled jobs and that Lancashire’s residents benefit from the new low carbon economy.
In July 2021 Gina led the County to address procurement via a call for Lancashire to Lead Carbon Reduction Plan. This resulted in Lancashire County Council resolving to work towards matching the Government requirement by requiring companies bidding for significant Lancashire County Council contracts, including through frameworks, to commit to Carbon Reduction Plans in line with the aspirations of Lancashire’s Climate and Environment Programme.
Gina also regularly uses the formal question time at Full Council to push for accountability by the ruling Conservative administration such as on South Lancaster Growth Catalyst, Bus Services, Cycling and Walking.
Gina is a member of the Lancashire Pension Fund committee and has worked on the Responsible Investment Task Group.
GINA’S PREVIOUS SUCCESSES ON THE COUNTY COUNCIL:
Children’s Services
In 2016, Gina – as the sole Green Councillor on the County at the time was invited by the then Labour administration to chair a new Children’s Services Scrutiny Committee, aiming to ensure good practice in all areas of children’s services across the County.
Climate and environment action.
Environment and Climate programme. As a direct result of Gina’s initiative, Lancashire County started a new programme to invest in nature restoration, peatland recovery, active travel, air quality and much more to tackle the climate crisis.
Anti-fracking campaign success. Gina worked alongside Fylde residents in their successful campaign against the shale gas industry. The Government has now withdrawn its support for fracking. in 2017 Gina was arrested with other local campaigners in the fight against the fracking industry.
Single-use plastic reduced. Gina pushed Lancashire County Council to adopt a plan to phase out single-use plastics and reduce plastic waste. County is now recycling pots, tubs and trays.
Divestment by Lancashire County Pension Fund. As a result of Gina’s work, the pension fund of around £9 billion has adopted a responsible and prudent investment strategy and has so far ditched its shareholdings in coal and tobacco.
General Election Candidate for Morecambe and Lunesdale 2024
Gina was our Candidate for the 2024 General Election in Morecambe and Lunesdale, receiving 2089 votes, a 4.3% vote share.
MEP for the North West, 2019-2020
Gina’s website which contains her reports produced while MEP including her well-received Green New Deal for the North West is here
MORE INFORMATION
Follow Gina on twitter @GinaDowding
Facebook: Gina Dowding Green Party