Greens Launch May Local Election Campaign

The Green Party of England and Wales have launched their local election campaign for the May 2008 local council elections.

The Green Party has launched its campaign for the May 1st local elections, with Caroline Lucas MEP, Cllr Adrian Ramsay and Cllr Darren Johnson AM paying a visit to Parliament.

The local elections are widely seen as a barometer of support for the general election, and, Greens are set to make gains that will demonstrate that they are on the road to Westminster. Both Caroline Lucas and Adrian Ramsay will fight seats in which the Greens already lead Labour on local vote share, having overtaken them since 2005, and Darren Johnson has slashed the Labour lead in Lewisham Deptford.

The Green election campaign will promote 5 key policies to promote social and environmental justice, including free school meals and free insulation.

After the Westminster launch, Caroline Lucas and Adrian Ramsay made their way to Norwich, where they will launch the campaign to make the Greens the second party on the council, a position they missed out on last time by just one vote.

Caroline Lucas said of the launch: "Green councillors have already introduced life-changing and life-saving measures like free insulation, and 20mph zones. By voting Green on May 1st, you can vote for more socially and environmentally just, more democratic and more competent local government.

"When people elect Greens, they like what they get. That's why we're constantly gaining more councillors, and it's why we'll make big gains next month.

The local elections coincide with the London Mayoral and Assembly Elections where the Green campaign is well underway, with Sian Berry, the Green Mayoral candidate, beginning to forge ahead of the "others" in opinion polls in an election which has so far been treated by the media as a battle between the big three parties. Sian's posters are really good and can be downloaded for your own blog, website, networking site etc here.

More on the Greens' local councils campaign launch from the BBC here.