James Russell is standing in Hull's Avenues ward on Thursday.  Today he issued a statement:

 

 

If elected I would have the honour of being the first and, for now, only Green Member of Hull City Council. As such I would seek to work with Councillors from other parties, supporting council policies where I feel that they meet the needs of the city, and being constructively critical in opposition on those issues where I feel the council could be doing better. I would hold regular surgeries in the ward, attend community events and knock on doors to talk to local residents and understand their main concerns, priorities and hopes for the area and seek to use my position to influence the council to address these. This would include supporting the new Peoples Assemblies being organised by Cooperation Hull as a means of giving local residents a new voice - I attended the first HU5 Peoples Assembly last year and will continue to do so.

 

My main priorities are:

 

To support the development of a properly designed, integrated network of walking and cycling routes and facilities, complemented by cheap and reliable public transport, in order to reduce the traffic congestion that plagues the city and which causes air pollution, ill health and leads to increased carbon emissions at a time when tackling the climate crisis must be the top priority for government and local authorities. Getting people out of cars and onto buses, bikes and on foot is better for all of us, and will make getting around the city much easier for those people and businesses who genuinely need to use cars and vans.

 

To support a programme of energy efficiency improvements of Hull's housing, prioritising the least efficient homes and low-income households. Investing in insulation, heat pumps and other measures will make homes warmer and cheaper to heat at a time when so many are struggling with energy bills and high inflation, will provide skilled and well-paid jobs to hundreds of local people, and will reduce the city's carbon emissions. It's an investment that pays for itself many times over but we have a Conservative Government that has slashed funding and made getting hold of support far too complicated, and a Labour Opposition that has just u-turned on its previous pledge to invest billions in this vital work.

 

To support the implementation of Hull Food Partnership's Hull Food Charter, of which I am a signatory. The council can be a huge force for good in supporting everyone to have access to locally-grown and produced, healthy and nutritious food, including through the food purchasing decisions the council makes itself; influencing partners and suppliers to also sign up to and implement the Charter; or by working with local communities and cut the red tape that makes it harder than it should be for community groups to set up communal gardens and green spaces on under-utilised public land.

 

To oppose the proposed Hull and East Riding Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA). The Green Party believes strongly in regional devolution but this proposal adds an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy to address issues that can be better dealt with in other ways. Regional transport is one area where joined-up thinking is desperately needed but could be addressed by establishing a Combined Transport Authority such as exists in other parts of the country without moving responsibility for areas such as planning or adult education away from local councils.

 

To oppose the establishment of a Humber Freeport. Freeports are areas where businesses would receive tax breaks, exemption from certain regulations, and be given responsibility for managing the regulation of imports and exports themselves. This would open up opportunities for tax avoidance and evasion, reduce regulatory protection for the environment and workers' rights, and be vulnerable to goods and services being smuggled into the country or imported without proper safety and regulatory checks taking place.