On Monday 25^th November, Green Cllr Caroline Jackson was elected as leader of Lancaster City Council. The extraordinary general meeting was called following the resignation of Labour Councillor Phil Black as leader on 13th November.

Lancaster is now one of 12 councils across England with a Green leader! 

Cllr Jackson immediately announced that at least four members of the previous Cabinet will continue on Cabinet with similar responsibilities: Cllr Caroline Jackson will continue to lead on Housing;  Cllr Peter Jackson, leader of the Lib Dems, will become Deputy Leader of the Council while continuing with his portfolio of Communities and Well-being; and  Green councillors Tim Hamilton-Cox and  Nick Wilkinson will retain their Cabinet portfolios for Finance and Property, and Regeneration respectively.

Cllr Jackson, a Bulk ward councillor in Lancaster for 11 years, and who previously led the council for a two-year period (in 2021-2023), said after the vote:

” I am grateful and honoured to be elected as leader of the Council. I hope to announce the full Cabinet positions by the end of the week, with details about who will lead on the other portfolios.

“I am confident of assembling a good team of new and established members to carry forward the priorities already established in the Council Plan.

“I agree with the sentiments that Cllr Black expressed at the time of his resignation that much has been achieved by the cross-party administration since May 2023. I asked Labour members to reconsider their position but they declined. 

There is no doubt that there will be difficult budget decisions to be made by February. Despite a new Labour Government, local authorities like ours who provide essential and highly valued services for our residents and businesses are still finding it necessary to make savings in order to balance the budget. “

(See addendum below for the full Cabinet Positions)

 Deputy leader of the Green Group, Gina Dowding said:

“Residents in the district expect us to represent them and as far as possible, their political choices. We know that always means a cross party administration. For most of the last twenty years Greens and Labour have shared in the administration of the city council. 

“It is unfortunate that Cllr Black misrepresented the perfectly civil negotiations between the Labour and Green leaders and deputy leaders to revise the leadership roles in recent weeks and it is disappointing that Labour decided to withdraw from working with the Greens and the Lib Dems.”

Cllr Jackson received 30 votes, backed by the Greens, the Lib Dems and an Independent Councillor. Voting against were 19 from Labour and 1 Independent Councillor. The Conservatives and Morecambe Bay Independents abstained from voting. Some Councillors were absent.

Addendum:

On Thursday 29th November, the full cabinet appointments were announced. Caroline will lead a slightly smaller cabinet of 9 members (6 Green, 2 Lib Dem & 1 Morecambe Bay Independent). They are:

• Cllr Caroline Jackson (Green) – Leader of the Council, portfolio for Housing and Homelessness
• Cllr Peter Jackson (Lib Dem) – Deputy Leader of the Council, portfolio for Communities, Well-Being and Partnerships
• Cllr Tim Hamilton-Cox (Green) – portfolio for Finance and Property
• Cllr Nick Wilkinson (Green) – portfolio for Regeneration & Local Economy (Lancaster)
• Cllr Gina Dowding (Green ) – portfolio for Climate Action
• Cllr Sue Tyldesley (Green) – portfolio for Planning
• Cllr Sally Maddocks (Green) – portfolio for Corporate Services
• Cllr Paul Hart (Lib Dem) – portfolio for Environmental Services
• Cllr Martin Bottoms (Morecambe Bay Independent) – portfolio for Regeneration & Local Economy (Morecambe)

Welcoming the new cabinet,Councillor Jackson said:

“I am delighted to have been elected leader, having previously served in the position from 2021-23. The new cabinet is an excellent mix of experience from those who have served previously, along with four new members who bring with them a new perspective and thinking to their areas of responsibility. In particular we welcome two new members, Paul Hart and Martin Bottoms, who are both Morecambe based.

“It’s important to remember that while the leadership of the council may have changed, our priorities have not. The Council Plan runs until 2027 and sets the strategic vision for our services, along with the city council’s commitment to making the most of the district’s many attributes as a great place to live, work and visit.”

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Children and families on the Marsh in Lancaster are celebrating the reopening of Sycamore Grove playpark which has been refurbished, thanks to fundraising by Friends of Marsh.

The playpark for children aged ten years and under, replaces the previous park which had to be closed in 2021 as it was deemed unsafe. Brand new play equipment including a wheelchair friendly roundabout, was chosen following consultations with children attending the Marsh Community Centre.  

The Friends group were successful in applying to Lancashire Environmental Fund(LEF) who awarded over £28 thousand pounds to cover the cost of most of the play equipment. Lancaster City Council contributed another £10 thousand pounds and installed the play park  without charge.

Katie Schad, Chair of Friends of Marsh and Lancaster Priory Community Worker said:

“We are very grateful to L.E.F for their generous funding and Lancaster City Council for helping towards costs and carrying out the installation.  Local children are already really enjoying the new equipment and that would not be possible without the support we have received.”

Mandy Bannon, Councillor for Marsh ward, and member of Friends of Marsh said:

“It’s wonderful to see so many young children using the new play park. The new equipment is fantastic and it’s a great place for children and their families to meet up. It’s been a pleasure working as part of the Friends group and having the support of the Council and Lancashire Environmental Fund.  The completion of this playpark shows what local communities can achieve when we all work together.”

The Friends of Marsh is a subgroup of the Marsh Community Centre charity. The Friends are a group of locally based people who meet at the Community Centre once or twice a term, to think through ways to support the area. They welcome new members so if you would like to know more, please email: katie.schad@lancasterpriory.org 

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To the surprise of Green Councillors, Labour Councillor Phil Black resigned his leadership of Lancaster City Council at the full council meeting on Wednesday 13 November 2024. He effectively ended the alliance agreement between Labour, Greens and Lib Dems who have jointly been running the Council since May 2023. 

Leader of the Green Group, Councillor Caroline Jackson said: 

“We were disappointed that Councillor Black and the Labour group should have chosen this abrupt and emotional way of ending the current administration, and announce that they have chosen to be in opposition. Cllr Black could and should have given advance notice so that a new leader could have been elected at the meeting. The effect of this action in the middle of the budget process is to halt essential work and ultimately delay decision-making. 

“Cllr Black misrepresented the perfectly civil negotiations between the Labour and Green leaders and deputy leaders in recent weeks.

“It is a fact that Labour has lost three seats and become the smaller political group. Back in May 2023, Cllr Black insisted that he should be leader of the Council because Labour had more councillors than Greens.

“Cllr Black has been unwilling or unable to negotiate with us to create a smooth transition to a Green leadership at this point, and he had not even committed to doing so in May when the current arrangement was due to end. For the record, our offer in the negotiations was to reduce Cabinet from 10 places to 9, with Greens and Labour having 4 places each but transferring the leadership to Greens, and the Lib Dems keeping one place. 

“I personally would like to commend all the members of the Liberal-Democrat, Green and Labour cross-party administration that has just been terminated. It has been hard working, co-operative, and broadly successful.”

Deputy leader of the Green Group, Gina Dowding added: 

“From the outset Labour did not follow through on the draft agreement that was created in May 2023 – in some haste – between the three political groups. One of that agreement’s underpinning principles was ‘Further details to be addressed via a working agreement.’

“Having secured the leadership, Cllr Black refused to have any further conversations to complete what was, and still is, a draft agreement. 

“We were also taken aback that nine months in he announced, without prior discussion and via email, a re-shuffle of the Cabinet places. This was despite the administration agreement establishing which portfolio areas each group would have.  Cllr Black expressly reminded us that the Council administration was a hierarchical organisation and ‘the Greens might not like that, but they better get used to it.’  He made policy announcements which did not meet our joint commitment to ‘no surprises’. 

“Despite all this, I do agree with the sentiments that Cllr Black expressed at Full Council that much has been achieved by the cross-party administration, which makes is all the more surprising that they would choose to withdraw from it. We would really like the Labour group to reconsider the position it took on Wednesday night and resume the cabinet posts it held, under Green leadership.”

Based on the respective numbers of councillors in each party, the administration had consisted of 5 Labour Cabinet members (including the leader), 4 Greens and 1 Lib Dem. Cllr Black’s announcement followed two negotiation meetings between the Greens and Labour about the way forward for the shared administration. In two recent by-elections caused by Labour City Councillors resigning from the council – in the University and Scotforth East wards – there had been significant increase in support for the Green Party, who won both seats. Labour had also lost a third councillor due to an internal group fall out.

Out of 61 Council seats, the Greens now have 23 (up from 21), Labour 21 (down from 24), while Lib Dems have 7, Conservatives 5, Morecambe Bay Independents 3, and two non-aligned Independents.

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She condemned the destructive impact of military funding and the cycle of violence, highlighting that every weapon and pound spent on conflict is a blow against peace and humanity.

She called for an end to arming Israel and advocated for resources to be shifted towards humanitarian aid and diplomatic solutions.

Suhir urged for leaders and citizens alike to to raise their voices, demand justice, unite in compassion and determination and commit to creating a world where families, and all those affected by violence, can live free from fear, in peace and dignity.

Some excerpts from Suhir’s speech:

“The flow of arms and funding into this conflict doesn’t bring peace; it fuels destruction. It tears down futures rather than building them. Every pound spent, every weapon used, every bomb dropped is an assault on the hope of peace. It is time to end the arming of Israel, to break this endless cycle of suffering.

Today, we’re here not only to voice our grief but to demand change. The weapons, the funding, the policies that fuel this violence, they must end. Every bomb dropped, every shot fired, is an attack not just on lives and homes but on peace itself, on the dream of a future where all can live free from fear.

We call on our leaders to listen. We demand an end to the cycle of arms and escalation. We call for resources to be redirected from destruction to diplomacy, to humanitarian aid, to the rebuilding of lives and communities torn apart by violence.”

Green Party member Alan Marsden also spoke: about the Israeli domination of the Gaza narrative and their assistance from British Zionist Media particularly in coverage of the Amsterdam football riot; and about the several British Journalists who are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, who have been raided by security services and had their electronic devices confiscated, and face charges under the Terrorism Acts.

Palestine Action and Resources

The post “End the Genocide: Stop Arming Israel’ March appeared first on North Lancashire Green Party.

Join us for Green Christmas Fair at the Friends Meeting House, next to Lancaster Railway Station,on Meeting House Lane, LA1 1TX on Saturday the 23rd of November.

Admission is £2, or £1 for concessions, free for children.

Locally-made crafts and gifts, tasty homemade food, live music all day, Father Christmas.

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Cllr Mills welcomed over 30 people to the event in the council chamber to celebrate the successes of the Bus Users’ Group in the ten years since she together with County Cllr Gina Dowding organised an initial meeting in response to residents’ concerns about bus provision in the district.

Mayor Abi said: “Over the last decade the Bus Users’ Group has grown as a recognised strong voice in lobbying for new, better and more joined up services in our district. It has also provided informed and comprehensive feedback to a range of public transport planning bodes about how bus services could be better provided.”

Cllr Mills publicly recognised the work of all of the members of the group but gave specific thanks to Jim Davies, a former bus services manager for a county council in the Midlands. Mr Davies had recently retired to Lancaster when the Bus Users’ Group was formed.

Abi added: “We are so lucky to have Jim’s expertise, and grateful to him for taking on the role of Chair.”

Pictured: Jim Davies and Cllr Abi Mills, cutting the 10^th Birthday cake

Jim Davies gave a presentation of more than a dozen significant achievements of the Group
which included:

• Developing a website that contains maps and timetables for every bus route in theLancaster District as well as advance information of forthcoming changes.
• Publishing two maps of bus services showing all operators’ buses in a single document.
• Securing the future of the number of bus services: the number 18 bus to Williamson Park / Moorlands / Standen Gate areas; the number 33 bus (now the 6B/6C) linking Morecambe,Branksome and Bare following a proposal to withdraw it in 2016; and the reinstatement and improvement of bus services in the Lune Valley to Kirkby Lonsdale.

Mr Davies said: “In addition to the impact we have had, the Bus Users’ group has grown its membership year on year, and we have developed good working relationships with Stagecoach and the County Council.”

Known as LBUG, with their own logo – the Group produced a Bus Service Improvement Plan for Lancaster in 2021, elements of which were adopted by Lancashire County Council in its own plan later the same year.

LBUG has since been accepted as a member of the Stakeholder Forum overseeing the implementation of the Bus Service Improvement Plan.

Margaret Colling, Heysham-based committee member, who is also a life-long bus user and member of the People’s Jury on Climate Change said: “Good bus services are essential for so many people to get to work, college, and shop. But I know from experience that for more elderly people the buses are quite simply a life-line – necessary for socialising and staying healthy.”

Cllr Gina Dowding said at the end of the event: “I want to express my thanks to all the Bus Users’ Group committee members past and present. Not only has the group been successful in practical ways – like getting improvements made to various bus stops and shelters throughout the District and getting additional bus stops on the number 11 Marsh service, it is now well-respected by Bus Operators and the County Council for its collaborative approach to strategic planning of bus services.

I am disappointed that the Chancellor in her budget this week has decided to keep the discount on the cost of driving, while giving everyone that relies on buses an increase, by raising the £2 bus fare cap to £3.”

The Bus User Group has a number of priorities over the next year including working with the city council to make improvements to Lancaster Bus Station, and working with local councillors to secure a bus service for New Quay Road residents.

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The turnout was 30.8 % and the results were:

• Andrew Robert Otway (Green Party) – 623 (57.7%) ELECTED
• Mark Andrew Jarnell (Labour Party) – 241  (22.3%)
• Timothy Wood (Conservative Party) – 148 (13.7%)
• Malcolm Martin (Liberal Democrats) 66(6.1%)

Andrew’s win confirms the Green Party as the biggest group on Lancaster City Council, with 23 out of 61 seats. Labour have 21, Liberal Democrats 7, Conservatives 5, Morecambe Bay Independents 3 and non-aligned Independents 2.

It also makes us the joint second biggest group of elected Greens in the UK, along with Mid-Suffolk who also have 23 Green Councillors. Only Bristol has an even bigger elected Green Group, with 34.

Andrew is a Scotforth resident who worked at Lancaster Central Library for 30 years before his recent retirement. He said:

“Thank you to all the voters of Scotforth East and to everyone who took the time to chat to about local issues. I have lots of ideas and casework to follow up, and am looking forward to making a difference as one of the councillors for this lovely, friendly part of Lancaster.”

You can read more about Andrew here.

Cllr Caroline Jackson, Leader of the Green Group and Deputy Leader of the Council said:

“Congratulations to Andrew – I’m delighted to welcome him to our hard-working team of Green Councillors.  I’m now looking forward to discussions with our current partners in the successful joint administration (Green, Labour and Lib Dem) about the consequences for the next two and half years.”

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It is a matter of public record that the Greens unanimously voted against the proposal to enter in to the ‘Collaboration Agreement’ with Lancashire County Council in August 2021.

Two years later in June 2023 the Conservative-led Lancashire County Council itself withdrew from the £140m funding agreement with government which would have enabled the ‘South Lancaster Growth Catalyst.’

Tim said: “It is deeply concerning that residents in Scotforth East who are unfamiliar with the detail may take the Conservatives’ claim at face value. I appreciate that Tim Wood, the by-election candidate, has now discussed the content of the leaflet with me, and I asked him to publicly retract the assertion given it is a lie.  It is important that the public know that when it came to the key vote the Labour group did support the Collaboration Agreement; and the Greens did not. 

Green candidate in Scotforth East, Andrew Otway, added: “This is not the way to conduct politics. If there is no regard for truth in what candidates say in their leaflets, it chips away at faith in the whole political process. I hope that the Conservative candidate will publicly retract that falsehood.”

Photo of the Conservative election material shown below.

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