Greens aim to make impact on borough
THE Green Party is hoping to make a comeback on Halton’s political scene when the borough goes to the polls, with traffic restrictions outside some local schools and improved dementia services on the agenda.
Local government elections take place in England and Wales on Thursday, May 2, with five parties going head-to-head to try and win 18 seats across Halton – a third of all council seats in the borough.
One of the parties fielding candidates will be the Greens.
The party achieved a surprise win in 2021 when Andrew Dyer won Daresbury, Moore and Sandymoor, beating the Conservative candidate by 20 votes. It was the party’s first ever Halton council seat.
But the party’s reign was short lived, with Mr Dyer stepping down a year later and his replacement candidate losing out to the Conservatives.
This year the party is standing 11 candidates, with in Runcorn and three in Widnes.
Iain Ferguson, who is standing as candidate for Daresbury, Moore and Sandymoor, said that if elected he would bring together the council and other agencies to develop a ‘one-stop’ dementia service to help sufferers and their carers.
He would campaign to join the
School Streets initiative – roads outside a school with a temporary restriction on traffic at school drop-off and pick-up times. The restrictions apply to school traffic and through traffic. He said he would particularly want to see the measures implemented around Moore and Sandymoor Primary
schools.
He said he would also push the council to adopt building design standards, so that all the houses built, are built to the ‘very highest environmental standards’.
He said: “The Green Party believe we can replicate the success we’ve had in St Helens, in Knowsley and in Wirral by listening to residents and taking their concerns seriously.
“We have previously won the council seat in Daresbury, Moore and Sandymoor and believe we can do again.”
He also pointed to voter turnout in last year’s Halton locals, with 22.57 per cent of eligible voters heading to the ballot box, compared to 32 per cent nationally.
He added: “Less than a quarter of residents vote in Halton as they’ve had enough of the tired old negative policies of the Labour Party.”
As well as the Greens – Labour, the Lib Dems, Conservatives, Reform UK and a number of independents will be running this year.
A full list of candidates and their respective wards can be found on the Halton Council website.