Britain is one of the most unequal countries in the developed world. The top 1% of people control more than half of the nation's wealth. Meanwhile debt levels are rising amongst the poorest households.
It is a shocking fact that, even in a relatively wealthy City such as Oxford, one in four children live in poverty.
Rather than pursue austerity measures that only hurt the most vulnerable, the Greens will prioritise economic security over policies which lead to an endless cycle of 'boom and bust'.
Young people, in particular, have been let down and face a difficult and uncertain future. Cuts to educational support and increasing tuition fees have together conspired to make universal access to higher education even more difficult.
It is now clearer than ever that our current economic system is not only socially, but also environmentally, unsustainable.
Greens will:
- End austerity and restore the public sector, creating over one million good jobs that pay at least a living wage
- Increase the minimum wage to reach a living wage of £10 by 2020
- Pay for this with a new wealth tax on the top 1%, a Robin Hood Tax on the banks and the closure of tax loopholes.
- Scrap university tuition fees
- Bring Academics and Free Schools into the Local Authority system