Thursday 18 December 2008

Seven Sisters By-election - Anne Gray Green Party Candidate

Green Party candidate Anne Gray is a well-known community activist who likes getting things done. Anne recently retired from a university job in social policy. She has the time to dedicate to the people of Seven Sisters and would work hard for you.

Anne helps run the East Hale allotment site in Millmead Road . With friends she started a food coop at Broadwater Farm Community Centre to help local people buy fresh, British and organic food at affordable prices. Anne would campaign to set up community food growing schemes to bring horticultural jobs back into London and keep down the cost of good food.

Anne also takes part in the Haringey campaign against cuts and privatisation in the health service. If elected, she would campaign to stop the privatisation of the Laurels Health Centre and to keep important local services at St. Ann ’s Hospital. We also need an Accident and Emergency unit in Haringey.

Anne has written a book about unemployed people's experiences of job-hunting and the benefits system. So she is well aware of what Tottenham people face now that unemployment is rising fast. If elected, Anne would work for more and better jobs in Tottenham. She wants the Council to help develop good jobs for the future on local industrial estates. She supports the campaign to keep the Seven Sisters Market. You could trust an independent Green councillor not to bow down to big business and instead stand up for local people.

Anne was born and raised in London . She has lived in Tottenham since 1983, but has also worked in Mozambique and Brazil . She speaks Portuguese and is now learning Turkish. She is very concerned about racism, especially in the Police. She believes that ‘stop and search’ is often conducted in a way which picks on immigrants and Muslims.

Seven Sisters needs an independent voice with a fresh angle on politics within the council. Anne would help local people to hold the politicians to account.

* Greens care about vulnerable children and elderly in difficulty

Sacking social workers doesn’t help children in distress. Haringey social workers have too many cases each to work well. Older people need more help too.

The Council should:-
- Get enough social workers, who must be well trained and supported
- Give them more time with the people they look after and less red tape
- Provide real support and management of their work; not just ticking boxes on forms
- Encourage and fund more community volunteer groups to provide mums and toddlers’ activities and support isolated pensioners
- Provide better community transport and foot care for housebound elders

* Greens care about respect for all residents whatever their origin
We need to combat racism in the Police Force and all public authorities, and say no to racist stop and search practices which target foreigners and Muslims
It’s important police don’t misuse taser guns

* Greens care about a quality Health Service and resisting its privatisation
- restore cuts in preventive services for elderly, for young children and for teenage pregnancy advice
- say NO to privatisation of the Laurels Health Centre and its GPs
- say NO to privatisation of the out of hours doctors’ service
- restore an Accident and Emergency Service to Haringey

* Greens care about jobs and good housing for local residents
Haringey Greens are already working with Homes for Haringey to press for estate improvements.

A Green Councillor would
- campaign to keep the Seven Sisters Market
- help everyone to get their home well insulated, to save fuel costs and create local jobs
- buy up empty homes and give local people jobs to repair them for people on the housing waiting list
- set up community food growing schemes to bring horticultural jobs back into London and keep down the cost of good food
- develop Tottenham industrial estates as a centre of manufacturing for wind power, solar power and insulation equipment

* Greens care about reducing WASTE of all kinds – of energy, of the rubbish we throw out, of land, of empty homes, of wasted empty commercial buildings
- we should save energy in schools and council offices; insist retailers use less bags and boxes so residents have less to throw out; crack down on rubbish dumping;
To find out more about the Green Party and Anne’s campaign phone 020 8881 9300.

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