The Green Party announced Geraldine Coggins as their candidate. What are she and the Greens planning for Greater Manchester? We take a look at the manifesto.
We aim to update this page when new manifesto points come to our attention.
Gaza
Coggins said: Greater Manchester has a proud tradition of international solidarity, from the campaign against apartheid to welcoming refugees fleeing conflict. In that spirit, I will explore opportunities to twin Greater Manchester with Ramallah in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, creating lasting partnerships between our communities and demonstrating our commitment to peace, justice and human dignity.
Education
No specific plans published to date
Environment
There are no plans to bring back the Clean Air Zone project which was abandoned a few years ago. Free buspasses for under 22’s can greatly reduce school run traffic, and active travel infrastructure like cycle lanes and walking routes and planting more trees
Flooding or potholes
No specific plans published to date
High street regeneration
A pledge to spend £10m to tackle empty shops on high streets. No specific plans to deal with vape shops, littering or business licensing.
Housing
The Green party promises 20,000 genuinely affordable and publicly owned homes over a decade, half of those purchased and refurbished and the other half new buil. In the two years left for the new mayor before the next elections, that would mean 4,000 houses. As the houses will be rented they will provide a yearly income and in time pay for themselves.
Migration
No specific plans published to date
Social care or SEND
No specific plans published to date
Policing and public safety
The Green candidate pledges £5m of extra funding for violence reduction programmes.
Transport
An orbital bus route and free bus passes for anyone under 22. No plans to lower the bus pass limit for older people, which presently stands at 67 (state pension age). Funding will come from a planned ‘visitor levy’ to make everyone who visits the Greater Manchester region pay a £3 a night levy. Whether this is only for hotel guests or for everyone and how it would be enforced ihas not been clarified
How will any changes or plans be financed?
The proposed ‘Visitor levy’ is meant to finance free bus passes for under 22 year olds. No other proposals have been published.
Based on an article by Local Democracy Reporter Ed Barnes
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