There is a formal planning application for land near Sparrowmire. Our Green Party Councillor, Liz Hendry, has worked with local people to influence the development, but we still have some serious concerns;

• 78 of the 143 dwellings (54%) are 4-and 5-bed executive homes, unaffordable by local people
• Only 30% are Affordable homes
• 143 extra dwellings will add to the load on the existing UU waste water treatment facilities.
• A sloping site with poor natural drainage, which has caused flooding on the Hallgarth Estate.
• The developers claim Hallgarth will not be affected as they will “divert runoff to Burneside” (!).
• It’s a greenfield site.
• Extra traffic on the busy Windermere Road.
• A car-centric design, with little effort to encourage Active Travel or public transport.
• Increased burden on local facilities – schools, doctors, dentists etc.

Westmorland and Furness Council will make the final decision on this development.

If you feel strongly about this issue, please comment using the link here.  

Closing date 27/2/25.

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We meet the second Tuesday of each month, 7 til 9 pm.

There’s always a good vegetarian meal, followed by a talk or discussion about whatever’s current; major planning applications, election campaigns, etc.

Members and non-members are very welcome.

The post Our spiritual home appeared first on Westmorland and Lonsdale Green Party.

Kendal Town Council has an overwhelming Liberal Democrat majority, (twenty six councillors to just two Greens), and this been true for years. The other main parties put up “paper candidates”; they appear on the ballot paper, but don’t actually campaign.

Two councillors have resigned, in the Highgate and Nether Wards, and we have requested a by-election in each.

Why?

Kendal Town Council has very few powers and less money – the big decisions on council tax, housing, transport, education are all taken by Westmorland and Furness Council.  So why bother having an election;

• Voters want it – on the doorstep, people tell us they believe in democracy and want to vote.
• Principle – democracy works best if the ruling party has an effective opposition.
• Leverage – the Town Council can influence decisions take at County level

Why vote Green?

Our two councillors , Liz Hendry and Simon Blunden, have worked tirelessly to make things better for their voters, With two more councillors we can do more;

1. Pressing for more affordable homes for local people.
2. Fighting to protect local health services.
3. Improving public transport links.
4. Investing in safer paths and bridleways to enable active travel.
5. Protecting and enhancing the town’s green spaces

Paul Wood (Nether) and Phil Clayton (Highgate) are planning to contest these seats for us.

The post 2025 Elections appeared first on Westmorland and Lonsdale Green Party.

Success

The Green Party at National level more than doubled it’s vote, to just under 2m people. By ruthlessly focussing on our four target seats, (Bristol, Waveney, Brighton and Herefordshire), we gained four parliamentary seats, by far the best result in our history. Many party members in Cumbria contributed their time to directly support these elections, or donated massively to the cause.

Green ideas, not just on climate change and bio-diversity, but on more traditional topics such as jobs, housing, the NHS and social justice got proper air-time in the media; we won many of the debates.

We averaged 7% of the vote, (another record), and under a fairer, more representative electoral system, we would have gained 40+ seats. The call for Electoral Reform is louder and more persuasive than ever.

The despised Tory administration of the last 14 years was swept away, with many of their senior figures losing their seats. The Labour landslide is real, and to be welcomed, but we remain unpersuaded that they have the courage and ideas to actually transform Britain.

Disappointment

Here in Westmorland we got just 3% of the vote. The Liberal Democrat campaign was professional and played the same tune relentlessly; vote Tim Farron to keep the Tories out. Despite the evidence that the “Tories were toast”, this message hit home and gave the Lib Dems a 20,000+ majority.

Thank you to all those who voted with their consciences; history is definitely on our side!

The post 2024 Election Result appeared first on Westmorland and Lonsdale Green Party.

Monday 17th June, Grange-over-Sands, 19:30 – 21:00, Methodist Hall (Hosted by Grange Methodists).

Monday 24th June, Ambleside, 20:00 – 22:00, Ambleside Parish Centre (Hosted by Friends of the Lake District).

Tuesday 25th June, Kendal, 19:30 – 21:30, Kendal Parish Church (Hosted by Kendal Parish Church).

Other hustings will be added as and when we’re invited!

The post Hustings appeared first on Westmorland and Lonsdale Green Party.

Which means that for the first time ever, people can vote Green, knowing there is no danger of “letting the Tory in”.

Vote with your conscience. Vote Green.

The post Tactical voting appeared first on Westmorland and Lonsdale Green Party.

Some numbers;

• The Water Companies were privatised for £7.6bn. They had zero debt.
• Since 1989 they have paid £85.2bn to shareholders, and have debts of £56bn.
• 71% of those shares are foreign owned, mostly by hedge funds and investment houses.
• Each water company is now worth about 10 times what it was sold for – United Utilities alone is worth £7.7bn.
• Despite the outrage over sewage, nothing much has changed; in 2023 United Utilities paid out more to shareholders than it earned in profit, funded by debt.

It’s time for a change.

The post The cost of water appeared first on Westmorland and Lonsdale Green Party.

We need Green MPs and Green councillors to create change. Take housing; Councillors want to encourage affordable housing instead of the large detached houses that maximise the Developer’s profits. And Councillors can influence development through Planning Committees. But Policy Planning Frameworks dictated by Central Government place strict limits on the power of councils to demand changes. We need National legislation to give more freedom to local government to decide what’s best for their citizens.

The post Joined up thinking appeared first on Westmorland and Lonsdale Green Party.

Phil Clayton has been selected as the Green Party’s candidate for the Westmorland and Lonsdale Constituency. More detail on Phil and the wider Westmorland and Lonsdale Green Party team on our “people” page.

The post Parliamentary Candidate announced appeared first on Westmorland and Lonsdale Green Party.