What We’ve Done

6 KEY THEMES

1. Urgent action on the climate emergency

2. Cosy and affordable homes – in the right places!

3. Supporting local communities and vulnerable people

4. Green spaces for people, wildlife and food growing

5. Enabling small businesses, tourism and culture to thrive

6. A transport system for clean air and liveable streets

Greens in North Lancashire have long been making a difference in our communities. This page focuses on what we have been doing over just the last few years to make our communities fairer and greener places to live, work, study and visit, both our hard working Councillors and also some of our brilliant local activists and community campaigners. 

See also What We Stand For for our vision and priorities for the next few years. 

1. URGENT ACTION ON THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Through leading Lancaster City Council we have:

  • Made the climate emergency a consistent top priority and set targets for reducing the Council’s own emissions to net zero by 2030.
  • Built a Council-owned solar farm on Salt Ayre tip, with another planned at Middleton.
  • Salt Ayre Leisure Centre is now carbon neutral (first one in UK).
  • Adopted better local planning policies for sustainable development, including high standards of energy efficiency for all new housing.
  • Supported the roll-out of electric vehicle charging points in public places around the District, and ensured that new Council-owned vehicles – including bin wagons – are electric.
  • Improved our community response and resilience to flooding and other emergencies.

As community campaigners we have:

  • Taken non-violent direct action in support of the anti-fracking protests at Preston New Road near Blackpool, which helped to get fracking stopped in England
  • Organised student climate strikes and led the successful campaign for Lancaster University to declare and respond to the climate emergency.

2. COSY AND AFFORDABLE HOMES – IN THE RIGHT PLACES!

Through leading Lancaster City Council we have:

  • Reduced the Council’s Local Plan target for the number of new houses to be built each year – although due to Government policies it is still much too high, making it difficult for the Council to refuse unsustainable planning applications. We will continue to push for further reductions.
  • Led on a better redevelopment plan for the Canal Quarter. Affordable and social housing will be built soon on Council-owned land.
  • Embarked on a major programme of retrofitting Council housing, starting in Skerton, to reduce tenants’ energy consumption and bills. Lancaster City Council is unusual in retaining control of its housing stock – most other Councils have sold or outsourced the management of social housing to the private sector. 
  • Introduced new planning and licensing rules to limit the number of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in each street, stop the street clutter of sign boards advertising student rentals, and encourage higher standards by HMO landlords.
  • Following Storm Desmond in 2015, Greens have worked on increasing our resilience to emergencies. Cllr Caroline Jackson chaired the Flood Resilience Commission, and Cllr Abi Mills set up a Community Emergency Centre in Scotforth, so that St Paul’s Parish Hall can be used during a prolonged power cut or other crisis in future.

In the Community:

  • Green councillors were part of the group that created the Lancaster Cohousing development in Halton. These ‘Passivhaus’ eco-homes require very little heating, and use renewable electricity generated onsite.

3. SUPPORTING LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND VULNERABLE PEOPLE

Through leading Lancaster City Council and our Councillor on Lancashire County Council we have ensured that:

  • The poorest people in the Lancaster District do not have to pay any Council Tax. Very few councils have chosen to do this.
  • The Council has continued to work in partnership with Citizens’ Advice to help local residents to claim the benefits that they are entitled to.
  • During the Covid-19 lockdowns, all homeless people were housed, supported, fed and given medical help where needed, and every vulnerable person was called to check on their well-being.
  • There were ‘warm and welcome places’ across Lancashire as an emergency response to the spiralling cost of heating homes. Initiated by County Cllr Gina Dowding 

As community campaigners:

  • Cllr Sam Riches has worked hard as a trustee of LDCVS to support the local voluntary sector, including through the pandemic.
  • Cllr Dave Brookes is chair of the Friendship Centre for older people.
  • Cllr Caroline Jackson has been actively involved in the Morecambe Bay Poverty Truth Commission, Global Link, and the FareShare project (redistributing waste food from supermarkets to people in need).
  • Cllr Suhir Abuhajar, vice chair of Communities Together, helps to organise culture-sharing events and support for refugees.

4. GREEN SPACES FOR PEOPLE, WILDLIFE AND FOOD GROWING

Through leading Lancaster City Council, we have:

  • Changed the Council’s mowing regimes to create many more wildlife-friendly verges and wildflower meadows.
  • Lobbied the County Council to reduce its use of toxic weed-killers.

As community campaigners we have:

  • Set up and led many ‘Friends of …’ groups, e.g. Aldcliffe Road Triangle, Greaves Park, Dorrington Woods, De Vitre Gardens, and Freeman’s Wood, where Greens including Cllr Mandy Bannon lead successful campaigning to protect the land from development and fundraised for a community buyout of the land. 
  • Organised countless community litter-picks, bulb- and tree-planting sessions and wildlife-friendly projects.
  • Set up the Claver Hill agricultural co-operative on the Ridge, which has involved hundreds of volunteers in growing fruit and veg for the local community – Cllr Caroline Jackson
  • Led projects to build and later refurbish the play area in Greaves Park, and improve the play area on Dorrington Road – Cllr Abi Mills

5. ENABLING SMALL BUSINESSES, TOURISM AND CULTURE TO THRIVE

Through Lancaster City Council, we have:

  • Ensured that the Council offered support to local businesses during Covid lockdowns, including provision of grants and a temporary relocation of Lancaster’s Charter Market to Dalton Square.
  • Championed the roll-out of superfast broadband throughout the district, and free Wi-fi in public places such as the City Centre.
  • Supported the Musicians’ Co-op to remain in the Council-owned building on Lodge Street.

Our Councillors Are Experienced in Running Culture and Heritage Projects and Small Businesses

Here are just some examples:

  • Cllr Sarah McGowan – co-owner of Single Step Wholefood Co-op
  • Cllr Sarah Punshon – founder of One Tenth Human, a local arts charity
  • Cllr Sam Riches – historian, trustee of Friends of Lancashire Archives and volunteer at the Judges Lodgings museum
  • Cllr Suhir Abuhajar – founder of Naba Arabic School and vice-chair of Communities Together
  • Cllr Jack Lenox – runs Lancaster Cargo Co., Gregson board member, Green Party’s national spokesperson for Culture, Media and Sport)
  • Cllr Nick Wilkinson – property management, director of Lancaster Business Improvement District
  • Cllr James Sommerville – director of Green Rose Community Interest Company

6. A TRANSPORT SYSTEM FOR CLEAN AIR AND LIVEABLE STREETS

Through leading the Council we have:

  • Refused planning permission for new developments with inadequate sustainable transport plans.
  • Got the Council to support a motion for extending 20 mph speed limits to city centre roads (residential areas across Lancashire already have 20 mph limits, following successful campaigning by Greens and others).
  • Secured road safety improvements and resurfacing of some local roads.

As community campaigners we have:

  • Led ongoing campaigns to improve cyclists’ safety on the A6, and to create a traffic-free direct route between Heysham and Lancaster.
  • Helped to get several electric vehicle charging points installed across the district, and supported the Co-Wheels car-share scheme.
  • Supported several communities across Lancaster to get residents’ parking schemes implemented, where a majority of residents wanted it.
  • been involved in a project that refurbishes old bikes to enable refugees and asylum seekers to access affordable travel – Cllr Paul Tynan. 
  • set up and vice-chaired the Lancaster District Bus Users’ Group, which has successfully campaigned against service cuts and for improved timetables – Cllr Abi Mills. 
To top