Local Councillor Richard Watts has resigned from Islington Council. That means Tollington will be electing a new Councillor on 1st July.
Tollington resident Jonathan Ward is standing for the Green Party. Jonathan is an expert sustainability engineer. He is on the Steering Group of the Neighbourhood Planning Forum and is a long-standing governor of St. Mark’s School.
Jonathan said: “At the last local elections 98% of the councillors elected were from the Labour Party. Many of my neighbours say that’s not healthy for democracy. People want to see a more balanced council. In Tollington the Greens came second the in elections for Mayor and the London Assembly. For the by-election it’s a two-horse race between the Green Party and Labour. If you want a local champion who will challenge the council on the issues that matter, vote Green on July 1st. I’ll champion fixing neglected council homes, addressing local traffic issues, taking action on the climate emergency and creating green jobs.”
Tackling Road Danger in Tollington Park
People living on Tollington Park are struggling with rat running cars, speeding traffic and heavy lorries. The recent construction work at Andover Estate has forced even more construction lorries down a residential road. Jonathan said: “The council is rightly reducing road danger with its people friendly street schemes. But Tollington Park has been left out. Children going to school need to feel safe crossing the road and walking to school, and we can do more to make cycling safe. Residents have been calling on immediate action for Tollington Park. The council must control the size and number of heavy lorries they’re sending down this road. Emergency traffic calming measures need to be introduced.”
Protect Islington’s Poorest
This year Islington Council is giving a temporary council tax exemption for the borough’s poorest. Greens have been campaigning for the council to follow Camden Council’s lead and make this permanent. “It’s been a difficult year and support for people struggling must be a priority,” says Jonathan. “Camden Council made the positive step to exempt the borough’s poorest, including retired people without incomes and disabled people who can’t work. Islington shouldn’t be chasing people for money they don’t have.”
The Tollington by-election is on July 1st.