Power to people

In a democracy, people should have power to shape their own lives - simply voting for politicians every few years is not enough. Greens want to see people have a real say in their communities, not a council thinking that it alone can make decisions that affect us all.

The current council administration has taken powers and funding away from people, giving the most important decisions about the future of our city to just a handful of councillors.

Area-based decision making has been abolished and local councillors have been given less say over decisions affecting the communities they represent, as the council leadership take less interest in the views of the public outside of elections.

The Greens will push for people to have more say in decisions that affect their communities – including shaping plans and sharing out money – to make those decisions more transparent and better represent people’s interests.

Green successes:

• Moved the original motion to set up Area Committees and to give them influence and an allocation of money to spend locally. 
• Actively involved residents’ groups in decision-making and planning decisions. 
• Hosted a vast range of consultative events on issues such as Controlled Parking Zones and policing on the Cowley Road. 
• Launched a vast range of initiatives and responses to local community demands such as support for the Cowley Road Carnival, solar lighting on Manzil Way, helping the East Oxford Farmers’ Market - and hundreds more over ten years of real democracy.

The Green Party will:

• Re-establish the Area Committees with full powers over planning, local devolved decision-making and with adequate financial resources. 
• Improve the Council’s very poor record on consultation. 
• Reintroduce the Committee System of decision making so that all councillors have a say and stop the concentration of power in a few individuals. 
• Introduce a Charter of Citizens’ Rights to give people more of a say in decisionmaking. 
• Help more local groups with grants, to contribute to the community. 
• Introduce residents’ discount cards, and support the Oxford Pound initiative, that will encourage local communities to be more stable and financially viable. 
• Do all we can to promote Credit Unions amongst local communities to combat the influence of loan sharks. 
• Support Healthwatch, trade unions in the NHS, and related campaigning groups reporting and campaigning on changes introduced recently to the regional NHS and to report on issues and problems.

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