Find out more about the Milton Keynes Green Party policies and what we stand for.
The Green Party: for the common good.
- A green economy that works for all
- Protecting our environment
- Our NHS and public services
- Education for all
- A positive future for young people
- Decent homes
- A safer world
- A people’s democracy
- A people’s transport system
Covid
As we recover from Covid restrictions we must ensure that there is a Green Recovery, not going back to a ‘business as usual’ scenario that just makes the climate emergency worse. Green jobs must be at the heart of the Green Recovery.
During the pandemic green spaces have been of huge benefit to peoples’ physical and mental health. Given the possibility of future lockdowns, we must preserve existing green spaces and ensure that there are plenty of green spaces in any new MK developments.
Climate Emergency and Environment
MK Council has declared a Climate Emergency and committed to be carbon neutral by 2030. But the council’s current policies will not deliver that. Its policies need to be more radical to reach that target.
We would create a Green New Deal and encourage:
Carbon neutral housing
- Provide better insulation for every dwelling in Milton Keynes over the next five years to reduce energy consumption and energy bills
- Generating more electricity locally from renewable sources, including solar and wind power
- Solar panels and heat pumps on all suitable council owned buildings
- Solar panels over surface car parks
- Community owned energy company
- Rainwater harvesting, grey water systems
- Reduce waste and encourage and support recycling
- More public transport, promote electric vehicle use, including buses and taxis, no new major roads to reduce air pollution
- Council to procure its electricity from renewable sources
- Protecting wildlife habitats and enhancing Biodiversity.
- Plant more trees in streets, parks and green spaces.
Housing and planning
- Provide more affordable social housing to reduce waiting lists and homelessness.
- Zpods (zero energy prefabricated dwellings) over car parks
- Push for more secure tenancies for renters and smart controls to stabilise rents.
- Ensure that residents have the final say over any regeneration proposals.
- Ensure that the New City Plan prioritises protecting people and the environment rather than building large numbers of unaffordable houses on greenfield sites
- Protect greenfield sites around MK from building development.
- Oppose government plans for 1 million more houses in CAMKOX (Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Oxford) Arc.
- Insist that any enlargement of MK is matched by supporting infrastructure, such as schools, surgeries, dentists, transport, green spaces
- Provide land for local food production
Transport
- Provide more bus services, including more evening and weekend services, and better facilities for bus users
- More bus lanes and other bus priority measures for faster, more punctual and more reliable services
- Make roads safer by introducing more 20mph speed limits in residential areas and reducing speed limits on grid roads
- Promote more people cycling and walking in MK. New estates to have Redways accessed by bridges and underpasses across grid roads.
- Implement the recently agreed Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) much more rapidly
- More Redways in old towns and rural areas
- Improve maintenance of footpaths, Redways and street lighting to encourage more pedestrians and cyclists.
- Support East West Rail from MKC to both Oxford and Cambridge and ensure the line is electrified. Support Eastern entrance at Bletchley station. Oppose any re-introduction of an East West Expressway through Milton Keynes
- Encourage more children and parents to walk or cycle to school to decrease problems with parking outside schools and make children healthier. Stop engine idling outside schools.
- Install Electric Car charge points in new build housing and more on-street charging points
Young people and Health
- Children should be able to attend the nearest school to their home
- Offer to provide a free lunch in all state schools every school day to every pupil
- Improve public health by more information about diet and exercise
- Provide more youth services
Support MK University
- Give more support to services countering domestic abuse, forced marriage and FGM
- Provide mental health support for young people, including positive activities to aid mental health such as sports, arts, clubs, access to outdoor spaces, and facilities
Community
- Protect public services that are under threat from the government’s austerity programme
- Challenge the reduction in central government funding for MKCC which has led to cuts in services
- Oppose privatisation of NHS and fund it properly
- Protect schools, libraries, post offices and other local services from cuts, closures and privatisation
- Where wheelie bins for waste and recycling cannot be accommodated, eg terraced housing and flats, offer residents an alternative system
- Fight for social justice, offering support and advice to those who are being affected by benefit cuts and Universal Credit
- Support people in need of adult social care to remain in their own homes where practicable and ensure good quality residential care provision
- Continue to fight for equal rights for disadvantaged and minority groups.
- Support the voluntary sector
- Encourage Grassroots/local democracy
- Encourage and support MK’s thriving arts scene and seek to protect live performance venues from threats of closure due to nearby developments
Economy
- Support smaller, local businesses and a growing localised economy.
- Encourage local employers and council contractors to pay the Living Wage.
- Support the introduction of UBI (Universal Basic Income)
- Champion local food production and farmers markets.
- Work with grassroots organisations to implement a sustainable food strategy for the city
