East Salford Branch
Bringing together members and supporters based in the Broughton, Irwell Riverside and Kersal wards.
Rob Mitchell represented the Greens at several Irwell Riverside elections
Irwell Riverside
We would like to thank Rob Mitchell, our dedicated green activist in Irwell Riverside (who stood last as a minority candidate at the 2010 local elections) for all his hard-work over the years, not only for putting a green box on the ballot paper, but also for his success in laying the foundations the Young Greens Group at Salford University. Rob achieved in campaigning on a variety of issues in his neighbourhood from tackling anti-social behaviour and setting up a residents group to his work ‘getting the vote out’ to disenfranchised and previously unregistered student voters during the Irwell Riverside by-election in 2009. We wish him all the best for his future endeavors and hope to see him back at the ballot box up in Bury where there is a recently established Green Party.
Future Campaigns
We will be having discussions at our East Branch meetings to agree priority campaigns leading up to the 2011 Local Elections. If you are interested in getting stuck in then drop David Henry a line (east@salfordgreenparty.org.uk) a line and we hope to see you at our next meeting!
River Watch
Is a campaign started by concerned residents living around the Eastern Stretch of the River Irwell supported by Salford Green Party activists and several other local groups. River Watch is effectively a network of individuals who keep an eye out for environmental hazards as well as anti-social behaviour and vandalism along the Irwell Valley Way which passes through Broughton, Kersal and Irwell Riverside and into Manchester City Centre.
Bats About Broughton
For lovers of Flying Fury Salfordian (this could apply to many local figures – however the group is more interested in the one’s that don’t really hang around vampires). Regeneration schemes and rows of abandoned terrace houses, large dilapidated churches and mansions have turned the Broughton area into a nocturnal mammalian paradise, it’s always useful to have friends in high places.
Salford Green Students
Are you interested in local politics and fancy gaining skills and experience as party of a real grass-roots community campaign? Whatever and wherever you’re studying and at whatever time in your life then why not Join as a Student for only £5 a year if you haven’t already. Since the 2010 General Election the entire Green Party membership has pleasantly surged, particular amongst younger people and those getting involved with politics for the very first time.
Peat Protesters Court Victory
Activists from the direct-action group Earth First! were celebrating outside Salford Magistrates Court today after being found not guilty of causing a public order offence during a demonstration in April.
Iain Hilton and Sonny Khan (pictured) chained themselves to equipment at Chat Moss which was being used to extract precious peat on land owned by Peel Holdings.
Salford Green Party members came down to show their support and were delighted to hear the judge had thrown the case out. Meanwhile , Peel Holdings (owners of the nearby Trafford Centre and Manchester City Airport) continue to allow the pillaging of natural resources on Salford’s green belt land, something the Green Party will continue to oppose.
You can find out more on this story in the Salford Star.
Greens Condemn Peat Extraction
Salford City Council has received a fresh planning application submitted by horticultural manufacturer William Sinclair, requesting permission to continue their illegal extraction of valuable peat from moss lands in Barton.
Peat bogs are increasingly rare habitats which are really good for a whole variety of wildlife like water voles, dragonflies, moths and butterflies. We should be caring for them and conserving them, not digging them up.
Peat bogs store carbon, thus helping to combat climate change whereas peat extraction releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, thus contributing to global warming.
We should not allow activities that are bad for global warming to continue when there are viable alternatives. Peat extraction is unnecessary because there are now excellent alternatives to peat based composts available. We should be promoting these alternatives, not perpetuating the use of peat. Organisations like the National Trust, the Royal Horticultural Society and Kew Gardens all stopped using peat years ago.
Peat extraction runs counter to both local and national policies and will have a continuing devastating effect, not just on the biodiversity of the site, and neighbouring sites, but also on carbon emissions and climate change.
“Britain’s mosslands hold the carbon equivalent of 35 years of national carbon emissions” said Dr Chris Miller the Wildlife Trust’s Mosslands Project Manager. “If peat is dug up the carbon in the peat is oxidised and within a relatively short time it will all be in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. This is why restoring mosslands can make such a big contribution to fighting climate change, but peat extraction is disastrous!”
Salford Euro Election Results 2009
This is how the City of Salford voted at the European Elections in 2009…
Total Electorate: 167,199
Conservative Party 9,819
Green Party 3,210
English Democrats 1,556
Socialist Labour Party 973
No2EU: Yes to Democracy 738
North West for the 2009 European Parliamentary Elections
Salford Green Party 