Green Party

7 February 2017

*Jonathan Bartley, co-leader: ‘We must end our narrow obsession with home ownership and meet people where they are – by investing in social housing and improving the private rented sector’

The Green Party has branded the Housing Minister’s new housing strategy [1] a “slap in the face” for people struggling to afford the cost of their homes.

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said the Government should instead focus on:

• Setting up a Living Rent Commission to bring down rents
• Introducing a Land Value Tax to reduce property speculation
• Expand the use of community land trusts and co-operative home ownership
• End tax breaks for buy-to-let investors and use the money for social housing

Bartley said:

“The Housing Minister’s plans are a slap in the face for the millions of people in this country desperate for bold plans to reduce rents and make their housing affordable.

“People are living in desperate insecurity and we need to end our narrow obsession with home ownership and meet people where they are – by investing in social housing and improving the private rented sector. Any plan to help renters which doesn’t have at its heart a clear intention to reduce the amount tenants are paying is doomed to failure.

“It is scandalous that many people are paying up to two-thirds of their income on rent, and often living in sub-standard accommodation. The Government should immediately set up a Living Rent Commission to work out what rent is truly affordable and take action to bring down costs for tenants.

 “With Britain suffering such an acute housing crisis – and with property developers earning such huge sums for simply holding onto land – it’s also clear that idea such as a Land Value Tax should be explored. Such a tax could reduce property speculation, revitalise inner city areas and raise revenue – there’s no excuse for failing to investigate it as an option.

 “We need to start talking seriously about expanding the use of community land trusts and co-operative home ownership. If the Government wants to take the heat out of the housing market it must end tax breaks for buy-to-let investors, and use the money to create a new generation of social housing.

“Housing should not be a speculative commodity and we must move beyond piecemeal tinkering with a broken market to ensure that everyone has a place they can call home.”

Notes:

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38884601

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6 February 2017

The Green Party believes the Government’s plan to make NHS hospitals in England charge overseas patients upfront for treatment [1] is a distraction from the real source of the NHS crisis.

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“Treating doctors and nurses like border guards and forcing patients to produce identity documents will only cause chaos and simply add more stress to an already struggling system.

“It was also revealed today that nine in 10 hospitals have reached unsafe levels of overcrowding so far this winter [2] and one in six A&Es may be closed or downgraded over the next few years [3]. It’s clear our NHS is in a dire state but the Government seems more interesting in pushing the blame for this crisis onto foreign patients.

“Health tourism is not the real threat to our NHS, underinvestment is. The biggest impact that foreign born people have on our NHS is as doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. It’s time the Government owns up to its own failure rather than attempting to shift the blame elsewhere.”

Notes:

1. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38876527
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38853707
3. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/06/one-in-six-ae-departments-at-risk-of-closure-or-downgrade

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3 February 2017

* Jonathan Bartley, co-leader: Government policy based on false idea that sick and disabled are guilty until proven innocent

The Green Party has condemned Government plans [1] to cut disability unemployment benefit in a bid to get more disabled people into work.

Jonathan Bartley, who co-leads the Green Party as a job share so he can care for his disabled son Samuel, said:

“These cuts are illogical, based on a false premise and clearly pernicious.  Cutting a benefit designed to support sick and disabled people into employment, is no way to help them into work.

“Those at the receiving end are those that even the Government accepts are sick and disabled.  But these cuts will drastically reduce the quality of life for many disabled people and is tantamount to kicking people when they are down.

“Government policy is increasingly based on the false idea that the sick and disabled are guilty until proven innocent, and that if they can be beaten hard enough by a weaponised welfare state they will be forced to find work.

“The Government should instead be focusing on removing the real barriers to finding work.  This includes more support, not less, and working with employers to ensure that the world of work is accessible in every way through practices such as flexible working.  It should also include tackling the widespread prejudice against disabled people which the Government is itself fostering.”

Notes:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/feb/03/cut-to-disability-benefits-may-make-return-to-work-harder-claim-mps

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3 February 2017

* Green peer seeks to transform House of Lords from within

* Jenny Jones: Lords reform is essential for proper scrutiny of Brexit process

Jenny Jones, Green member of the House of Lords, will today (February 3) continue her fight to transform the unelected chamber.

Baroness Jones’ House of Lords Reform Bill will get its second reading on Friday, with reform of the Lords more important now than ever to enable proper scrutiny of the Brexit process.

Baroness Jones hopes to gather support from within the Lords for her plans to replace the House of Lords with a democratic and effective second chamber. This would use proportional representation to elect a new house, but keep many existing peers as non-voting experts.

Her Bill is the first with this mix of proposals to come from within the Lords.

Jenny Jones said:

“I’m not the only Lord who wants to abolish their right to vote in the second chamber, but I’m aiming to be one of the most energetic peers in making it happen. I’m relatively new to the Lords and I hope my fresh approach will help fast track the various discussions about Lords reform.

“The referendum vote in favour of Brexit makes Lords reform both urgent and inevitable. The government could try to push through all kinds of bad ideas on the back of the Brexit negotiations, the Great Repeal Act and hasty trade deals.

“We need an effective and democratic chamber to help scrutinise the secondary legislation and the international deals.

“The Government may well give itself so-called Henry 8th powers to just unilaterally repeal or amend European laws after the Repeal Act passes, opening the door to a bonfire of environmental and social protections. We need a second chamber that has the legitimacy and popular backing to challenge the use of such anti-democratic powers.”

Notes:

1 https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld/ldordpap.htm

Jenny’s bill is the third on a list to be taken at 10am on Friday 3rd June. Nine peers in addition to Jenny have put their names down to speak so far.

House of Lords Reform Bill [HL] Second Reading [Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb]

If the bill is read a second time, Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb to move that the bill be committed to a Committee of the Whole House

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2 February 2017

The Green Party has called the decision to push ahead with a third runway at Heathrow airport ‘entirely misguided and unfair’, as the Government publishes plans for the expansion and starts a four month public consultation. [1]

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“The decision to expand Heathrow airport is entirely misguided and unfair.  It is clear the Government is prioritising the whims of the super rich instead of taking seriously the need to protect us all against the threat of climate change.

“It is still unclear how the Government can possibly meet the commitments it made in the Paris agreement while forging ahead with its expansion plan.  Not only will this turn the lives of local people upside down, but it means the rest of the country will have to do more than they already are, in order to reduce carbon emissions.

“The Government should introduce a frequent flyer levy where those who fly the most pay the most. This would tackle both the demand and growing travel inequality, while providing much needed investment to improve our existing transport infrastructure.”

Notes:

1. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/02/heathrow-third-runway-plans-published-for-public-consultation

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