We will not achieve a carbon zero economy, unless we make that economy work for everyone, not just the rich. We learnt in the pandemic that people will do the right thing if they can afford to. And if they can’t afford to, they will not be able to do the right thing, whether they want to or not.
Other parties will tell you the solution to poverty is growth, so that the rich get even richer and there are bigger cake crumbs for those at the bottom. But the problem with economic growth is that it requires energy, and we do not yet have enough sources of green energy to do this, while achieving a net zero carbon economy
Which is why the Green Party talks about re balancing the economy, by which we mean changing the distribution of wealth away from the richest 10% of households who hold 43% of all wealth to the poorest 50%, who have jusr 9%. We dont want bigger cakes, just bigger slices.
But we don’t have to wait for a more favourable government to come along .Listed here are thing the green party supports to make it easier for people to afford a carbon neutral economy
What we’re thinking
- A Green Development PlanA Green Development plan Written in the Spring of 2023, Councillor Jamie Osborne explains the a green approach to developing the local economy We might be heading towards warmer weather, but there is still a spring chill in the air that should remind us of one of the legacies of a winter in lockdown. As… Read more: A Green Development Plan
- An Insulation TaskforceAn Insulation Taskforce Millions of people are living in homes that are ridiculously expensive to heat. Green councillor Jamie Osborne describes how a Green Party administration in Norwich would tackle this issue Millions simply cannot afford to heat their homes to a decent level. And that is because, with the UK having some of the… Read more: An Insulation Taskforce
- Ending child povertyEnding Child Poverty Keir Starmer said “We can’t end child poverty unless we have more money to do it – and that’s not going to happen, frankly, in the first term of a Labour government.” Child poverty shouldn’t be negotiable.One in three children in Norwich are living in poverty. We need a Government that will… Read more: Ending child poverty
What we’re doing
- council slammed for failing council tenantsPressure grows on Cabinet Member as Labour-run council slammed for failing council tenants by housing watchdog Last year, Green Party councillors called for an urgent review into Norwich City Council’s management of council homes across the city, after a damning report from the national Housing Ombudsman found the council to be among the worst performing landlords… Read more: council slammed for failing council tenants
- homelessness PetitionOver 550 Norwich residents sign petition “Don’t let homeless people freeze on our streets this winter” At the Full Council meeting on 24th Tuesday, Norwich residents will present a petition signed by 568 people asking the Council to take urgent action to ensure people experiencing homelessness aren’t left out in freezing temperatures and extreme weather conditions this… Read more: homelessness Petition
- Norwich Green Party sends solidarity to the Muslim community and people of colour in the face of fascismNorwich Green Party is appalled by the far-right organised political violence that we are seeing on streets across the country. We must be clear that what we are seeing is racism and Islamophobia. It is aimed at destroying communities, targeting Muslims and asylum seekers and it is high-time that our political leaders called it out… Read more: Norwich Green Party sends solidarity to the Muslim community and people of colour in the face of fascism
- Scrap the two-child benefit capMore than a third of children in Norwich South live in poverty. Scrapping the cruel and unjust two-child benefit cap would help lift 300,000 children across the country out of poverty. Yet both of Norwich’s Labour MPs have voted to keep this policy. While Green MPs voted to scrap the two-child benefit cap and support the most vulnerable,… Read more: Scrap the two-child benefit cap
- Protecting the right to strikeProtecting the right to strike Green councillors brought a motion to the full Council meeting on 16th July asking that Norwich City Council protects the right of its employees to take industrial action. The motion was passed unanimously. The motion, proposed by Cllr Hoechner and seconded by Cllr Stonard from the Labour group, asks the Chief Executive of… Read more: Protecting the right to strike