13 May 2009: immediate                   ( 07811 428 682

Record Candidate Numbers for Worcestershire

Greens have 41 Local Election Candidates this year on a par with Labour and Lib Dems

A record number of Green Party candidates are to contest the County Council elections in Worcestershire this year.  Candidate numbers have shot up since the last County elections in 2005 [1]. The dramatic rise in Greens contesting seats is down to increased membership and members wanting to stand for election to give people an opportunity to say no to the BNP and yes to positive politics with solutions to today’s problems.

In Worcstershire, 80% of voters will be able to vote Green in the County Council elections.  41 of the 52 County divisions have Green candidates in 2009 [2].  Actual candidate numbers are: 57 Conservatives, 42 Lib Dems, 41 Greens and 41 Labour.  Lib Dems and Labour have more than one candidate in the two-seat Redditch divisions. 

Louis Stephen, Green Party candidate for Riverside division in Worcester said “In the middle of a recession and a row over MPs’ expenses, people are increasingly looking at other parties with positive solutions and a cleaner style of politics.  And people know that one more Conservative or Labour Councillor on the County Council makes little difference but a Green offers a distinctive voice”.

The Party is also running its strongest ever campaign to elect a Euro-MP in the region at the European Election held on the same day, to join the two other UK Green Party MEPs already elected.  Felicity Norman, the Green Party Euro-MP candidate said “Our membership and general support is on the rise.  A Green vote at these elections says yes to positive politics and no to racism and it says yes to investing in jobs-rich industries to tackle recession and climate change."

NOTES
[1] 24 Green Party candidates contested the County Council elections in 2005, whereas 41 will stand this time.

[2] http://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/home/wcc-election-county

[3] A full list of candidates is available on our website:

http://westmidlands.greenparty.org.uk/region/westmidlands/local-elections-2009/WM-local-cands-2009.html

ENDS

       Further information, clarification + interviews:

 Media Officer, Chris Williams, 07811 428 682 or Louis Stephen (Worcester) on 01905 359 509

http://westmidlands.greenparty.org.uk

Published and promoted by Chris Williams for the Green Party, both at 37A Vyse Street, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, B18 6JY