SOUTH SOMERSET NEWS: Green Party leader visits Crewkerne

GREEN Party leader Natalie Bennett was in South Somerset today (Wednesday, July 22, 2015) as part of a tour of the region.

The tour includes visits to Bristol, Bath, Frome, Bournemouth and this morning she was in Crewkerne meeting with local Green supporters.

Ms Bennett has been encouraged by the upsurge in support for the Green Party and her party’s success at the General Election in May has been mirrored in the fact that she has remained as leader – unlike the LibDems’ Nick Clegg and Labour’s Ed Miliband who both stepped down following disastrous elections.

Although the Green Party only saw Caroline Lucas re-elected as MP for Brighton Pavilion and failed to gain any additional seats – the Greens received their highest ever vote share of over 1.1million votes; an increase of the national vote from one per cent to 3.8 per cent.

Similarly in the Yeovil Constituency – although the Greens came fifth, they gained an increased 3.8 per cent of the vote with candidate Emily McIvor polling 2,191 votes as opposed to the 2001 General Election when they polled 1.6 per cent with candidate Alex Begg getting 786 votes.

Ms Bennett said: “We did well in May's General Election and especially in the South West and we now have to build on that – more and more people are beginning to see themselves as Green voters.”

PHOTO - TOP: Green Party leader Natalie Bennett with Green supporters at Henhayes in Crewkerne today (Wednesday, July 22, 2015).

She said they were keen to push forward ideas on electoral reform and highlighted that at May’s local election on Crewkerne Town Council, the Green Party candidates polled 30 per cent of the vote, but failed to win a single seat.

“Crewkerne is a single ward and we feel that splitting the town into a number of wards would improve and reflect a better representation,” she said. “We’ve got good Green Party members here and we need to get them on the town council and then the district council.”

She said there were a number of key issues facing Crewkerne which the Green Party was prepared to campaign for – improving traffic flow through the town, supporting small businesses and securing the future of the community hospital.

“These are all essential issues for a strong local community which in turn produces a strong local economy,” she said.

“If you lose those things that make a community it makes it harder for the smaller businesses and you lose the heart of the town.”

Ms Bennett met with Green Party supporters at the historic Lucombe Oak at Henhayes.

PHOTO - RIGHT: The majestic Lucombe Oak.

The Lucombe Oak – the 41st biggest in England according to the Tree Register of the British Isles and estimated to be about 150-years-old - was at the centre of a local environmental storm back in 2008 when it was deemed infected and should be cut down.

But Green Party campaigners and others from Crewkerne Town Council joined forces to ensure that the tree was protected and survived.

Green Party leader Ms Bennett looked at the giant Lucombe Oak today and said: “There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with it to me.”

She will now be hoping that the Green Party itself can continue to grow from small acorns into a major player in British politics.

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