Out leafleting today I noticed the activities of the other parties. It made me think that the situation now in Halton View ward is so different from what it was 5 years ago before the appearance of the Greens.
It was a rare occurrence to receive a leaflet and only two parties had been contesting the seat for a few years before 2004.
It seems that we have made party politics in the area much more competitive.The Labour group’s presence has been more noticeable at residents meetings and there have been several improvements in the ward like traffic calming measures, slow down traffic signals (although unsure about the effectiveness of these) along with other street furniture and certain ‘green’ measures.
It seems that councillors are really wanting to appear attuned to the communities needs much more than previously. It could be that government initiatives have something to do with this but often these anyway are linked to popular policies being pushed by parties like the Green Party and taken up by the government.
It’s surprising then what you can do for local democracy without holding a council seat – just think what might happen if the Greens had representation on the council – I suggest that you really let your imagination take over!
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