Coventry Green Party's Local Manifesto

Local Services

Coventry Green Party supports further investment in the arts, museums and heritage projects in Coventry, which we feel are vital to help us recover from the social, mental and cultural isolation brought on by the pandemic.

Green Coventry City councillors will call for:

• Funding to be reinstated for youth groups in Coventry, which would help to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour on our streets;
• Reinvestment into all of Coventry's local and mobile libraries, to ensure that a library facility is within walking distance of nearly every resident within the borough;
• Funding to be reinstated for Coventry’s museums and for arts funding to be increased, with the aim of reaching out to all Coventry residents so all of our lives can be enriched.

Business & Employment

Coventry Green Party will strive to encourage all large and small businesses and industry to reduce their carbon footprint, by moving to energy efficiency, sourcing locally, and increasing self-sustainability within our region.

Coventry Green Party councillors will:

• Work to encourage employers to recruit and train local residents in new green jobs;
• Encourage employers to offer solutions to enable employees to work from home where it is beneficial to do so;
• Call for improved internet provision to all Coventry residents to be subsidised by the government;
• Call for employers to enable their employees to travel to their place of work either by bicycle, on foot, or by public transport;
• Call for an increased variety and diversity of shops and amenities to be available to every local community across Coventry;
• Call for support of small businesses or social enterprises which are willing to repair, recycle and repurpose domestic white goods and electrical products, since Coventry Green Party will support the consumer’s right to repair;
• Work with local farmers and food producers to make more connections with local markets for their produce, reducing transport time and costs, and encourage healthy and sustainable food and farming systems.

Nature and the Environment

The pandemic proved to Coventry residents how important nature and access to green spaces is to both our physical and mental wellbeing.

Coventry Green Party say it is essential to provide space for everyone to reflect, to connect with nature, to exercise and be able to meet our friends while enjoying fresh, clean air.

Elected Green councillors in Coventry will:

• Continue to fight to protect all our green spaces, whether in the city centre or in the suburbs, from inappropriate development;
• Work with local residents, landowners and community groups like the Coventry Tree Wardens Network, identifying appropriate sites where trees could be planted, planning and enabling tree-planting projects, while ensuring the trees we already have are cared for and benefit future generations;
• Draw up a strategy to ensure that Coventry's parks are maintained and protected for the benefit of both people and wildlife, and make it easier for everyone to enjoy a walk in nature;
• Call for Coventry City Council's Rangers to work with community groups to seed more wildflower meadows and to add managed wildlife areas to parks;
• Develop a plan to provide a better network of paths and cycleways to enjoy these spaces, with wider and improved access for all Coventry citizens including those with disabilities;
• Challenge the City Council Rangers to work with local residents and community groups to create additional pockets of green space especially in the city centre, to promote biodiversity and help all Coventry residents access the health benefits of interacting with nature.

Waste Reduction & Management

The issue of waste management and street litter is something Coventry residents have so frequently had to raise with us, because of the failure of this Labour council to resolve the ongoing problems.

Rubbish left lying on the streets, in addition to being unsightly, is a health hazard for people and wildlife alike. Research shows that if a space looks well looked after, people will treat it better; leaving rubbish to build up encourages more fly-tipping and littering.

Coventry Green Party councillors will:

• Change the current council policy of refusing to remove fly-tipped rubbish from property entries;
• Work with local businesses to develop a strategy to reduce plastic waste and waste in general;
• Work with local businesses to develop a strategy to reduce plastic waste and waste in general;
• Demand more and accessible recycling facilities, as well options for re-use and upcycling, and reinstate public street bins for common recycled items;
• Challenge the council to introduce services to handle difficult to recycle items;
• Discuss how to enable Coventry residents to have large items of rubbish collected from their homes and at a reduced cost, with the aim of removing the cause of domestic fly tipping;
• Prioritise getting more street cleaners working on our city streets;
• Encourage relevant council departments to work with volunteer community groups who already do a fantastic job of keeping streets and green spaces clear of litter.

Democracy, Equality and Justice

Coventry Green Party stands for local level democracy for all. Whether or not we are elected, our members always work to ensure that, no matter their identity, abilities or wealth, all individuals working or living in Coventry will have a voice which can be heard and access to fair justice.

Your Local Community

Each elected Green Party councillor will not only work across Coventry city to seek to implement these policies for the common good, but will also focus on issues affecting people living and working in their own ward.