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See subsections on the left for old material from the site.

Pre 2008 headlines linking to orginal stories.

18/12/07

Milton Keynes Wind Farm, supported by MK Green Party, was approved last night by Milton Keynes Council Development Control Committee. The two and a half hour planning committee meeting was extremely contentious, ending in a 6-5 vote in favour. All three Conservatives on the committee voted against, as did two of the five Lib Dems. The application generated many hundreds of letters to the Council, the majority of them supporting the wind farm.

There were very active local campaigns both for (BREES) and against (BLEW) the wind farm, which is now expected to be on stream supplying enough electricity for 10% of the homes in MK by 2009. The wind farm is being developed by Your Energy, who operate Burton Wold Wind Farm near Kettering, currently the UK's largest on shore wind farm.

29/08/07

MK Greens condemn South East Expansion report: more

20/08/07

Greens welcome enquiry into M1 widening: more

09/07/07

Greens object to M1 Widening: more

03/05/07

Local election results...

23/04/07

Lib Dem council erects 8 cycle barriers on 100 metres of redway - Greens Protest. Read press release (pdf) .

18/04/07

We are fielding six Green Party candidates in the 2007 local elections in Milton Keynes

• Bradwell - Arnold Bailson

• Danesborough - Peter Richardson

• Linford North - Peter Edwards

• Linford South - Clive Bailey

• Middleton - Katrina Deacon

• Wolverton - Alan Francis

useful links

See our Local Election Manifesto...

National Green Party website

join | donate | mailing list.

Local elections page on the MK Council website

09/04/07

The east west rail link from Oxford to MK would reduce car use and massively improve the rail system, for about £100M - the same as just 3 miles of the government's ludicrous M1 widening scheme... Read more...

14/12/06

Should we spend 25 - 75 billion pounds on a new system of nuclear weapons of mass destruction for the UK? Or should we set an example for nuclear disarmament. I know what Mr Blair thinks about this (yay, more, bigger, better, nuclear weapons!) ... tell him what you think:

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/trident/

21/04/06

The Green Party is fielding five candidates in the 2006 local elections in Milton Keynes:
Bradwell: Arnold Bailson
Campbell Park: Katrina Deacon
Linford North: Peter Edwards
Linford South: Caroline Lancaster
Wolverton: Alan Francis.
If you don't have a green candidate in your ward, we're sorry... why not join us and help us put up more candidates next time?

20/02/06

The UK Green party is campaigning under the slogan 'green energy works' to encourage people to sign up for renewable electricity suppliers for their homes, and make their views known to the government about nuclear vs renewable energy. See www.greenenergyworks.org.uk for more info and a survey.

Locally, a wind farm is being proposed near Milton Keynes. See www.miltonkeyneswindfarm.com, where you can add your voice to the consultation about it.

03/11/05

Greens get secret Milton Keynes Expansion meeting opened up to the public More...

17/09/05

Be sure to complete the Council's waste strategy survey before 30th September. You can do it online. This is your chance to press for higher levels of recycling and composting, and oppose any future use of incineration in Milton Keynes.

20/05/05

Please signup online to the Independent's Campaign for Democracy petition.

16/05/05

The Tories' use of immigration as a major issue in the general election campaign was 'repellent', according to the Conservative MP for Buckingham, John Bercow (writing in the Independent, 10 May). During the election campaign, the new Tory MP for MK North East, Mark Lancaster, repeatedly endorsed and strongly defended the Tory party's election message on immigration, in the face of criticism from Green Party candidate Peter Richardson. How will Mark Lancaster now get on with his neighbouring Tory MP, who has described this approach as 'repellent' and 'nasty and visionless'? Let's hope that ex-shadow cabinet member John Bercow will talk some sense into newcomer Mark Lancaster.

06/05/05

Green Party candidates achieved four-figure results in both MK constituencies: Alan Francis received 1336 votes (2.74%) in MK South West, and Peter Richardson received 1090 votes (2.17%) in MK North East. Nationally, the Greens' best result was in Brighton Pavilion where the Green candidate received 22% of the vote. Join us now and start working for a greener, fairer world. Full results on mkweb.

04/05/05

You are definitely going to vote tomorrow, aren't you? We hope that you believe in what we believe in: people, planet, peace. You still have time to convince a friend or relative to vote Green too. Give it a try, they'll thank you later.

26/04/05

The Greens are the only political party in Milton Keynes who consistently opposed the Iraq war: the anti war reputation of the Lib Dems appears to have grown like an urban myth. More... [Did the MK Lib Dem Council ever pass an anti war motion? Were any MK Lib Dem Councillors ever seen on any weekly peace vigils rallies/marches in Milton Keynes - I certainly don't recall ever seeing any. If they were busy opposing the war, they were doing it very quietly and privately (peter@mkgreens.org.uk)]

19/04/05

Greens oppose M1 widening. The plan will cause traffic chaos during road closures, will ultimately increase the amount of traffic, and the money could be better spent on trains and trams. More...

18/04/05

Green Party Manifesto. Our manifesto is available all the time, not just at election time. Our "Manifesto for a Sustainable Society" (MfSS) is a long-term plan written and updated democratically by all the members, not just something thrown together by a few party bigwigs when they see which way the wind is blowing. Anyway, you can download a 32 page summary of the manifesto here (pdf, 375K), visit our special manifesto summary website, or you can explore the fully detailed MfSS website here.

15/04/05

Press release: Green Candidate Selected for MK North East seat More...

14/04/05

Peter Richardson has been selected as the Green Party Candidate for the North East Milton Keynes constituency. The selection was last minute as until last week the Greens couldn't afford to field two candidates. Public donations in the last few days have enabled us to stand, giving everyone in MK a chance to vote for real change for people, planet, and peace. More details on both candidates to be posted here shortly. Meanwhile if you support us, please donate and/or offer to put up a poster or join our mailing list.

13/04/05

Press release: Milton Keynes Greens condemn South East Plan More...

07/04/05

Green candidate for MK South West Alan Francis astride an advertising bike outside the houses of parliament at the launch of the Green Party's general election campaign. A bit greener than the lib dems' plane and helicopter?

29/03/05

Green candidate Alan Francis catches Tories out exaggerating MK crime figures by 800% more

19/03/05

To mark the second anniversary of the War in Iraq, there will be a big Stop The War march in central London on Saturday (19th). The messages will be 'troops out of Iraq' and 'no to war in Iran'. Assemble speakers' corner, Hyde Park, noon.

If you are staying in MK, don't forget the Global Centre's public meeting about ideas for the Global Centre's new resource centre (a building is on offer in the new Sainsbury's complex in CMK): Saturday morning, at Madcap Theatre, Creed St, Wolverton, Saturday 19th, 9.30 - 12.30. (More info, Sust!, 232255)

The MK Peace and Justice network needs a replacement computer printer - do you have a spare one? Contact office@mkpeaceandjustice.org.uk

27/02/05

Blair's government is trying to rush through draconian laws allowing the Home Secretary - a politician - to place people under house arrest without trial. The vote will take place TOMORROW. Don't give up your civil liberties quietly: contact your MP urgently. Action sheet

07/02/05

MK Greens have selected Alan Francis as general election candidate for Milton Keynes South West. This will be the 6th general election that Alan has contested in Milton Keynes. "This shows my long term commitment to Milton Keynes and the people who live here,” he said. More...

28/11/04

National demo against detention of 'terrorist suspects' without trial at Woodhill Prison (on V2 between H6 and H5, opposite Shenley Wood) on Sunday 28th Nov, 12.30 - 2.30. Speakers from Liberty, Green Party, detainees families and legal teams etc. More info at www.mkstopwar.org.uk and www.freebabarahmad.com. Babar Ahmad is being held on an extradition application from the USA. It is an alarming fact that any UK citizen can now be extradited to the US without the extradition case being contested in a UK court. The reverse is not true - the UK does not have equivalent powers to extradite US citizens. So the USA can now pluck any of us and put us inside their barbed wire monument to human rights at Guantanamo at whim. Thanks, Messrs Blair and Blunkett. That really reduces terror, doesn't it.

22/11/04

MK Expansion latest report: "It's not sustainable and it's probably not a community," said Alan Francis of Milton Keynes Green Party. How to get the report and where to send your comments...

2/11/04

Coalition forces have killed at least 100,000 Iraqis, including at least 50,000 women and children (see Independent, 29 Oct).

At 5pm on 2 November, US election day, people gathered at CMK rail station in a mood of sad protest, and read out about 1000 names from a roll of the victims of the war. It would have taken us about 8 days and nights to name all of the victims. Useful link: www.mkstopwar.org.uk

hallowe'en

Come to the Big Green Hallowe'en Party Sat 30th Oct 7.30pm, Bancroft Meeting Place. More details...

14/06/04

Caroline Lucas MEP was re-elected to the European Parliament as one of the 9 MEPs for the south-east. Nationally a million people voted green in the euro elections more...

07/06/04

The Green Party campaign bus, carrying Euro election candidates, visited CMK today. The Green Party bus runs on bio diesel - motor fuel produced from waste vegetable oil. [more about biodiesel - see information sheet on LILI website: pdf, 181K]

25/05/04

We are fielding Green Party candates for the following wards in the local elections on June 10th: Bradwell - Arnold Bailson, Campbell Park - Jayne Meadows, Middleton - Katrina Topping, Newport Pagnell North - Caroline Lancaster, Newport Pagnell South - Clive Bailey, Olney - Peter Richardson, Stantonbury - Carol Barac, Wolverton - Alan Francis, Woughton - Peter Edwards. We need your help with leafletting and putting up posters (see below), and if you would like to stand as a Green Party candidate in next year's local elections, get in touch with us now!

22/05/04

With local and european elections on June 10th we REALLY need your help. Our dynamic green MEP Caroline Lucas only scraped in by 249 votes at the last european elections. Every vote will count this time. Can you display a poster or do some leafletting? Don't waver, please get in touch right now: email peter@mkgreens.org.uk or phone 01908 586002.

08/05/04

Guardian article on opposition to Milton Keynes expansion by Green Party and others.

06/05/04

Caroline Lucas, Green Party MEP for the South East Region visited Central Milton Keynes today.

Dr Lucas met with voters in Central

Milton Keynes at lunchtime, before visiting the National Energy Foundation’s new

offices in Knowlhill, MK, in the afternoon.

She held an information stall in central Milton Keynes at City

Square focussing on her latest report “Global Warming, Local Warning” as

well as speaking with lunchtime shoppers about her work as an MEP.

More...

21/04/04: Green Party spokesperson and Euro candidate for the SE Alan Francis has been arrested after protesting at a public enquiry into the expansion of Milton

Keynes. Read more...

16/03/04: RMT Leader Shares Platform with Alan Francis at Green Party Conference. More...

15/03/04: MK Green Party Response (pdf, 69K) to MK Council's Long Term Public Transport Vision Consultation Document

05/03/04: Debate begins today in the House of Lords on the Green Party's Air Traffic Emissions Reduction Bill. This aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from air traffic, which is the fastest growing contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The Bill is introduced in the Lords by the only Green Party Lord, Tim Beaumont, and was drafted by MK Green Party member and national Green Party Transport Speaker Alan Francis. More info on the Air Traffic Emissions Reduction Bill...

01/03/04: It's Fairtrade Fortnight, and Milton Keynes Borough has been awarded Fairtrade Town status by the Fairtrade Foundation. Why not celebrate at MK's own fairtrade shop, Sust! in the Food Centre, which is holding a special Fairtrade Breakfast on Saturdays 6th and 13th March, 10 - 11.30am. More about fairtrade in MK at www.mkfairtrade.org.uk

06/01/04: Yesterday John Prescott announced the setting up of an undemocratic planning body to oversee MK Expansion, pre-empting the findings of the public enquiry which hasn't even begun yet. MK Green Party says that MK expansion is being rushed through for political reasons...

12/12/03: Plans for airport expansion at Stansted and more flights from Luton were announced by the government today, but Green Party Transport Speaker Alan Francis warns that the aviation sector is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. The Green Party Air Traffic Reduction Bill would reduce air traffic and remove the need for more runways and flights. press release (pdf, 25K)

10/12/03: The superstore proposed as part of the Denbigh North stadium development could close down struggling town centre shops in Bletchley, and would increase car use for shopping trips, say MK Greens. More...

09/12/03: Woburn Sands Town Council tells green councillor that £83 is too much to spend on renewable power. Details...

18/11/03:Currently opposing expansion on the Western flank of MK at the MK Local Plan Public Enquiry, Alan Francis of MK Green Party wants to know why MK Council did a U turn over the western expansion area.

20/10/03: Good News! Sust! the new fairtrade, green, global shop in Central Milton Keynes Food Centre opens this Tuesday (21 Oct) at 10am. Hooray! The shop is on the arcade along the side of the Food Centre, near Whittards, Holland and Barrett and Pennine Way. The Food Centre is the block of the CMK shopping centre with Sainsburys and Waitrose.

Get a sneak preview: Photo gallery of final preparations.

Sust's Opening hours are 10 - 5.30 Tuesday - Saturday, 11 - 5 Sunday. Closed Mondays. Phone 01908 232255. The Sust! project relies heavily on volunteer effort... if you can offer to help, give them a call.

[Hear the Sust! story so far and see behind the scenes at our next Green Fringe meeting on Monday 17 November 6pm.]

26/09/03: With only a fortnight to save Milton Keynes from expansion lunacy, either object now or kick yourself for the next 30 years. Here are ten reasons to object to the expansion of MK.

26/08/03: Central government is keen to double the size of Milton Keynes as part of its Milton Keynes and South Midlands Sub Regional Strategy. Read the consultation documents (the main document is the one called 'Draft Sub Regional Strategy') and tell the government what you think of this plan, before the consultation period deadline of 13 October.

13/08/03: We've just had the hottest day ever in England, but remember that climate change also means more flooding and storms that kill thousands each year in poor countries, not just hotter summers here. Don't feel powerless or depressed about it, do something! Here are a few simple suggestions we can all follow to reduce our own contribution to climate change...

01/08/03: Dark Skies Campaign.

It's estimated that £52m a year is wasted in Britain by badly designed street lighting that lights the sky above but illuminates the streets below only poorly. Not only does this prevent people from seeing the stars - you can't see the Milky Way within a 50-mile radius of a city - but it attracts and disorientates animals, especially birds, often leading to their deaths. What's more, the electricity wasted lighting up the sky contributes to global warming. For more information see www.star.le.ac.uk/astrosoc/cfds and www.dark-skies.org

30/07/03: The govt is trying to encourage water companies to add flouride, a poison and carcinogen, to drinking water, just as the rest of Europe is abolishing this dangerous practice. Ask your MP not to support the Water bill. More...

11/06/03: Various parts of the government would like to know whether you want waste incinerators and GM crops.

Do you? If not, you'd better join us in saying so.

09/06/03: Interested in ecological building methods, solar power, compost toilets, permaculture, bio diesel etc etc? Come to our next Green Fringe meeting which will visit the Low Impact Living Initiative at Winslow near MK.

09/06/03: Build your own solar water heating system in a local DIY scheme backed by NEF, LILI, and MK Council more...

29/05/03: decision on Shanks' mega waste centre application put off by MK Council for the wrong reasons. An agreement which would officially designate Bletchley as the dustbin of the South East was put on hold while a bigger planning gain deal is negotiated. Details...

Local election results: with gains of up to 41% over last year, Greens again attracted a significant number of votes in the MK local elections. More details...

01/05/03: It's election day. Voting hours are from 8AM to 9PM. Please vote Green!

28/04/03: Interested in energy saving and renewable energy? Come to our next MK Green Fringe eco networking group meeting which will be visiting the National Energy Foundation, Knowlhill, on May 8th. To hear about future Green Fringe visits, join the mailing list.

17/04/03: Shanks finally gets its way over massive waste centre in Bletchley. More concessions came from Shanks at the last minute, and MK Council's Development control committee last night decided to accept the huge, controversial waste centre plan rather than face Shanks' threat to appeal over the Incinerator. More details...

MK Expansion Unnecessary

We are arguing that it's madness to concrete over more of the South East while homes stand empty in other parts of the country. In response to a query from a local voter, one of our local election candidates checked out how many empty homes there are in England and where they are. The answer? 729,000 empty homes in England, including 84,000 in the South East. (Figures as at 01/04/02, Empty Homes Agency www.emptyhomes.com).

Greens are good for you. Your Green MEP Caroline Lucas has made a huge impact since her election as one of the MEPs for the South East in 1999. She has worked promoting local food, helping farmers affected by foot and mouth, against GMOs, for animal welfare, against new airport building and in many other areas. Website: www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk

Milton Keynes Peace March 29/03/03 - around 75 people took part, after a rousing rally with many local anti war speakers.

Local peace events coming up |

Archive of recent Milton Keynes peace events

5 February 2003: Greens Condemn Proposals to Double the Size of Milton Keynes - press release.

MK Green Fringe meetings

We are trying to establish a meeting point for anyone in the Milton Keynes area who is interested in 'green' issues such as recycling, renewable energy, low impact buildings and environmentally friendly transport. This is not just a meeting for members of the Green Party, but an attempt to set up a wider 'Green Forum' in the area where like minded people can network, swap information, and inspire one another. Meeting 2 is on May 8th, 7.30pm. National Energy Foundation, Davy Avenue, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes (Sign up for the mailing list to receive a flyer with directions later)

Say NO to war. More information and ideas for things you can do to help stop the war.

MK Expansion. How do you feel about the possibility of 50,000 - 100,000 more houses being built in and around MK? Goodbye green spaces and villages, hello congestion and crowding?

Green Party MEP for the south east Caroline Lucas recently held a public meeting to discuss the threat that MK Expansion poses for our town and its surroundings. The threat stems from John Prescott's announcement in June that 200,000 new houses would be built in MK, Ashford, Stansted and Thames Gateway.

The message from the Green Party is that doubling or trebling the size of MK's new town makes no sense when the south-east is already overheating, and the midlands and the north are stagnating. The government should instead encourage the growth of public and private employment in areas of the UK that have unemployed workers and unwanted empty houses.

July 19 2002: Greens will fight Prescott's plans to expand Milton Keynes by 50,000 homes. See MK expansion story on BBC news website.

Boycott Esso: Please buy your petrol from non Esso petrol stations. Esso is the worst oil company for trying to undermine action against global warming. Greenpeace, FOE, the Green Party and other groups support www.stopesso.com.

Now that's what I call a successful boycott: Esso Fishermead MK closed down just a few weeks after the Stop Esso demo outside it on 18 May 2002. Coincidence or public pressure? Keep up the Esso boycott until they take their claws out of Bush and the Kyoto Protocol!

Milton Keynes Green Party stood 9 candidates in the Milton Keynes local elections in May 2002 (see results).

The Greens (www.greenparty.org.uk) are playing an increasing role in local and national affairs. Locally, we have members on several MK parish/town councils - Stantonbury, Wolverton, Woughton and Woburn Sands.