Greens say, "Oppose public spending cuts and fight for green spaces!"
Tuesday, 07 September 2010
Green Party members joined simultaneous protests against public service cuts and the sell-off of green spaces outside Council House on Tuesday afternoon.
Offering the Green Party's support to groups opposed to public spending cuts who had gathered at the doors of Council House, Green Party Councillor for Southville Tess Green said, "What we need is a much more equal society. Don't cut back on services for the most vulnerable, for those most in need."
The Green Party is the only political party in Westminster to call for investment in jobs and infrastructure to help lift Britain out of recession, not cuts that will disproportionately hit the poorest in society.
The anti-cuts protest featured banners from Unison, Unite, Avon Fire Brigades Union, various branches of the National Union of Teachers, the Universities and Colleges Union, Bristol Stop the War Coalition and the Socialist Workers Party.
Meanwhile, a separate protest a few metres away on College Green featured a broad range of grass-roots groups opposed to the proposed sale of green spaces around the city by Bristol City Council.
One evidently irate protester shouted, "You [the council] should be disgusted with yourselves; you are taking away our heritage, the heritage of every child in this city ... and giving millions instead to Wimpey and Barratt Homes."
"Sixty-two green spaces are up for sale," she continued.
"They [the councillors] want to fill their coffers as a result of profligate spending. They should cut their own budget," she said.
Among the green-space protesters were groups from Victory Park, Stockwood, Begbrook Drive, Higham High Street, Lodge Hill, Okebourne Park, St Anne's, Kippers' Field, Bracey Drive and Lockleaze.
The Kippers' Field group featured a rider on a horse with a sign round its neck saying, "Develop my field? Neigh, neigh, neigh!"
“It’s moments like this when we see just how many Bristolians are thoroughly frustrated and disgusted with the blatant disregard by public officials for our shared green spaces and their favouring of profit over our quality of life,” Gus (pictured below) said.
Bristol City Council has opened an "Area Green Space Plans ideas and options consultation" for the next 20 years.
The consultation is due to run until Friday, 29th October, 2010.
The Greens want LibDem, Labour and Conservative councillors to come clean about their backing for the sale of green spaces, which is intended to raise money for the remaining parks and for other council purposes.
Pete Goodwin, spokesman for Bristol South Green Party, said ahead of Tuesday's protests the Greens were the only ones to argue against the sell-off strategy when it was adopted in 2008. In spite of the warning, all the other parties backed it.
"Now we're stuck with an unsustainable policy of selling the family silver just to keep going.
"Neighbourhoods are set to lose well-loved open spaces, mostly in the poorer outer parts of the city, to provide what any self-respecting council should provide anyway.
"It's embarrassing to see councillors in the affected wards now presenting themselves as defenders of land that they were happy to see sold off a couple of years ago.
"No wonder people are angry."
Notes:
1. Green Party objections to the sell-off were contained in a statement to Cabinet on 21st Feb 2008 - and were ignored.
2. The "Area Green Space Plans ideas and options consultation" can be viewed here.