Politics

New candidate for Greater Manchester Metro Mayor contest

26 January 2017

Following the tragic and untimely death of Deyika Nzeribe earlier this month, the Greater Manchester Green Parties have selected Will Patterson [1], chair of the Wigan & Leigh Green Party, to contest the Metro Mayor election in Greater Manchester. The vote, due to be held on 4 May, will give more than two million voters across the City Region the opportunity to vote for Green policies.

Will, a Wigan resident who has lived in Springfield for the last three years, joined the Green Party in 2014, and stood as the Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Wigan in 2015. He has been an active campaigner for more public engagement in the devolution process.

He is a member of Frack Free Wigan, Leigh and Makerfield, and helped establish Wigan People’s Assembly Against Austerity. Last year, he supported Wigan Together, an event designed to promote and celebrate the diversity of the local community, and defend it against far right groups who were planning to march through the town. He was also delighted to sit on the organising committee of the inaugural Wigan Pride, which was held last August.

Will said: “These are tough circumstances to run in, but Deyika worked tirelessly to offer Greater Manchester the Green voice that the region desperately needs. I’m honoured to have been called upon to continue the amazing work that Deyika started, and together with party members from across the region, I’m looking forward to working for a fairer, more democratic and greener Greater Manchester.

Setting out his approach for the campaign, Will said: “This isn’t the devolution I would have hoped for: it’s been dropped on the people following closed-door back-room negotiations between Councils and the Government. If devolution is to work for the people of Greater Manchester, it needs to be owned by the people of Greater Manchester and deliver real solutions to the problems we face. We need a combined authority that will prioritise the real need for social and affordable homes; we need to do more to tackle the chaos of climate change that’s hitting the region right now; and we need to open the doors of our new institutions so that the people of Greater Manchester can see and share in the decisions being taken in our name.

“Successive Westminster governments have left Greater Manchester behind – if we’re to tackle their legacy of poverty and inequality, we need to do devolution differently. I’ll empower not just our cities, but our citizens.”

Notes:

Will Patterson

Will is 33. Over the last few years, he has been a contract worker in Manchester, working in IT Project Management until his last contract expired just before Christmas. And as a renter, Will is part of a generation that faces uncertain prospects with permanent jobs and affordable housing seemingly out of reach for many working people under 35. He feels his experiences dealing with the job market and the Government’s new benefits system give him a good understanding of what life is like for many people across Greater Manchester.

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This report underlines just how rigged our economy & country actually is in favour of the wealthiest – Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn MP, leader of the Labour Party, commenting on a report by the Social Mobility Commission, said:

“This report underlines just how rigged our economy and country actually is in favour of the wealthiest and the privileged few. While the Conservatives look after the interests of their friends, they are closing down opportunity for the many by slashing funding for education.

“Labour is committed to a country that works for all, a real living wage of at least £10 an hour by 2020, investment in industry, infrastructure and public services and a national education service which equips the next generation with the skills our country needs to succeed, so that no one and no community is left behind.”

January 26, 2017 GovWorldMagLabourGovernmental • Labour • Labour Party • political

Green Party: Poverty to blame for child health inequality

26 January 2017

The Green Party is deeply concerned child health in the UK is lagging behind that of most other European countries due to poverty rates [1]. Experts say little progress has been made to address the social factors behind health inequality since it was highlighted in a Government report in 2010 [2].

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“It’s appalling we’re failing to give children the best start in life, even though Britain is one of the richest countries in the world. Children deserve to be happy and healthy, no matter where they are born or how much money their parents make.

“We can’t tackle a growing health gap between rich and poor children without looking at the way inequality is entrenched more widely. We’re in an age of insecurity where life is getting worse for those who are struggling the most.

“The Government has a dismal record on child poverty, abolishing the child poverty unit [3] and scrapping child poverty targets [4]. Government cuts to public services have taken a toll and unless the Prime Minister prioritises tackling poverty, inequality will continue to soar, with a flow on effect on children’s health and the NHS, which will struggle to cope with increased demand.”

Notes:

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January 26, 2017 GovWorldMagGreen PartyGB • Governmental • Green Party • political

News story: New talent joins British Transport Police Authority Board

From: First published: 26 January 2017 Part of: New appointments to the body that oversees the specialist rail police force in Britain. The body that oversees the specialist rail police force in Britain is to be further strengthened by the … read more

January 26, 2017 HM GovernmentHM GovernmentGB • Governmental • HM Government • political

News story: UK Space Agency funds satellite solutions for developing countries

The UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Programme (IPP), is a five-year, £152 million programme designed to partner UK space expertise with governments and organisations in emerging and developing economies around the world to deliver a sustainable, economic or societal benefit. Satellite data will be used to tackle problems such as flooding, drought, and deforestation.

The 21 chosen projects help provide solutions for local issues in countries across Africa, Asia and Central and South America. They include providing communications in remote areas for education and health provision, improving maritime safety for small fishing vessels in South Africa and Madagascar and reducing illegal logging in Guatemala.

The IPP focuses on using the UK Space sector’s research and innovation strengths to deliver practical and measurable effects to end-users in developing countries. As GCRF forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) ring-fenced budget, the new IPP programme is fully ODA compliant.

Funded from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), the IPP forms part of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) ring-fenced budget. They projects underwent a rigorous selection process to ensure that they met strict requirements for ODA and UN sustainability goals. The UK Space Agency part funds IPP projects with a proportion of the cost shared by the programme applicants to ensure cost effectiveness and value for money.

View the whole list of IPP funded case studies.

The IPP will make a second call for applications later this year, with an opportunity for new projects to secure funding.

Case study: Ecometrica, Edinburgh

Forests2020

Grant: £14.3 million Target country: Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Ghana and Kenya

This project addresses critical gaps in current forest monitoring systems by providing a sustained and effective forest monitoring system capable of measuring forest change and providing information on the risks and drivers of forest loss. The project focusses on Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Ghana and Kenya. It will use publically available Earth Observation optical data and commercial LIDAR/radar products as well as set up in-country capacity building EO monitoring stations.

Case study: exactEarth Europe Ltd (eEE) Harwell, Oxfordhsire

sOuth Africa Safety Initiative for Small vessels Operational Take-Up (OASIS-TU)

Grant: £1.1 million Target country: South Africa, Madagascar Following on from their IPSP project, this project will install 1,500 transponders across the most at-risk artisanal fishing boats in South Africa. exactEarth will use their constellation of ‘Automatic Identification System’ monitoring satellites to track these boats in partnership with the South African Maritime Safety Authority; and this will ensure a more effective rescue approach for the small boats and reduce the current high loss of life in this sector.