26 November 2021
Lucy Galvin has been elected as the new leader of the Green group of councillors – the main opposition – at Norwich City Council.
A Nelson ward councillor, Lucy is in her second term, having previously represented Wensum ward. She takes over from Councillor Sandra Bogelein, who will remain as deputy leader.
Lucy works in nature and landscape conservation for the Norfolk Coast and is part of a national task force on climate change and nature for protected areas; she is also chair of a Norwich community centre and a member of other community initiatives including Friends of Train Wood and Marriott’s Way which she helped found.
Lucy said: “I want to thank Sandra who has made a huge difference and works hard, as do all the Green councillors, to represent the citizens of Norwich and make change at City Hall. We all share a positive vision of the future and work year-round to make it happen.
“My priorities as leader include more transparency and accountability at Labour-run city hall, especially following on from the council contracts issues that have led to an unpredicted cost of £2m and serious health and safety concerns for many residents.
“I want to see citizens part of decision making, with information shared and trust built. I will work to increase equality of opportunity across our city especially to those whose voices are not heard. The entrenched and growing inequality in Norwich is completely unacceptable. Data shows that a third of city youngsters – 9,497 in 2020 – are living in poverty, and this figure is growing.
“My linked and urgent priority is to push the administration hard to enable us to reduce the amount of carbon we send up into the air as a city. Following the failure of COP26 to make enough progress, it falls to local councils to take action right now. We have this decade to change and it truly is our last chance. I want to see the council set out a bold, evidence-based plan to achieve this, with real actions which start now.
“The benefits of taking action are huge in terms of carbon, health and wealth. From insulating and providing solar panels on council housing, to making buses, bikes and scooters the travel of choice for the city; from improving air quality to increasing street trees and biodiversity, it is all there to play for. The council needs to step up.
“Talking to people in the city, this is what they want. They can’t understand why politicians don’t get their shoulders to the wheel and make real progress. I stood for election to do just that. Norwich can be a bold, green city, with practical, possible changes for a future which is fair and healthy. Our city can be a haven for nature too, in a world where it is under extreme threat.
“Polling shows that a majority of the public is in favour of the kind of serious climate action that Greens propose. The Greens are now polling as the third party nationally in terms of General Election voting intention, above the Lib Dems, and in Norwich in local elections, we gained only a few percentage points below Labour in terms of vote share.”
