The post Sustainable Gardening during a Hose-Pipe Ban appeared first on Doncaster Green Party.

The post First Past the Post to be Scrapped for Mayoral and PCC elections appeared first on Doncaster Green Party.

It’s been two weeks since Doncaster Labour suffered a brutal punishment beating, meted out by an electorate that wanted to send a clear message to Westminster.

The party was reduced to just 12 seats on the city’s council, to Reform’s 37.

It is the first time since 2010 that Labour has not held a majority here, and the first time ever another party has had the most councillors on the council.

New analysis of the results shows that if the same were to happen in a general election here, Ed Miliband would lose his seat.

However, the story is less about who voted and more a story of who stayed at home. The electorate held its nose in last year’s general election, reluctantly buying Starmer and Reeves’s promises of jam tomorrow.

Well, not only has the jam failed to materialise, but Starmer and co have served up cold-hearted dollop after cold-hearted dollop of cuts for the poorest while making concessions to the rich.

In a further act of self-sabotage, Starmer’s Labour has tacked hard to the Right, enacting a scorched earth policy to fulfil its obsession with destroying its own Left flank.

This resulted in the Left and centre-Left staying home in Doncaster on polling day, leaving Farage and his band of merry populists to take 37 seats with the support of less than 15 per cent of the electorate.

It’s hard to know how the Labour Party in Doncaster will ever recover, but friendships and mutual respect among Labour councillors and ex-councillors are stronger than ever.

This is probably a result of the shared trauma of managing years of declining council budgets enforced through Tory austerity before being thrown under the bus by their own side.

It is little wonder those outside of Labour on the Left in Doncaster are currently wearing “Told you so” T-shirts.

Within the local Labour group recriminations are non-existent. They are reserved entirely for Starmer’s Labour.

On results night, one influential, now ex-Cabinet member, hunted down Milliband, giving him both barrels and reloading several times. Whether his mealy mouth is able to convey the message he was asked to give Starmer is difficult to say.

Even the darkest of clouds can have a silver lining, and this was provided by the re-election of Ros Jones, the city’s re-elected Labour mayor.

It is widely accepted that her win was, to a large degree, due to the former Tory MP Nick Fletcher, who also ran and did an excellent job of splitting the vote.

Prior to her political career, Ros was an accountant at the council, and in many respects she still is.

There is no doubt that her leadership has not been perfect, but not many could have navigated the last 15 years of a tone-deaf Westminster, economically “punching down”.

Standing in front of the cameras the day after her re-election and telling her party that it needed to listen may have seemed to some to be too little, too late.

But for those who know Ros, a party loyalist, and staunch believer in party discipline and collective responsibility, it was an uncharacteristic public response that should echo around the tin ear of Starmer and his government. They ignore such a loyal and moderate voice at their peril.

It is no secret among those in Doncaster Labour, who they hold responsible for this near extinction event, and it’s not Ros Jones and her Labour group.

It is true to say that immigration was an issue on the doorstep, and this clearly drove the Reform vote. But the bigger issues for the majority were the winter fuel allowance; changes to PIP and disability allowance; the crumbling health and social care systems; Labour MPs taking donations and freebies from big business and foreign governments; and Palestine.

Couple all of this with Starmer’s attempt to out-Farage Farage, and Labour may well find that it is fishing in a tiny pool of unwinnable voters at the next election. All while continuing to alienate the vast majority of the electorate who could well remain at home when the time next comes to vote.

Originally published by the Daily Telegraph
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2025/05/14/reform-could-oust-miliband-in-labour-election-wipeout/

The post Labour may never recover from this appeared first on Doncaster Green Party.

The Green Party is proud to announce that they will be standing candidates in every single ward in the upcoming local elections on Thursday, 1st May.

With Labour running the council unchallenged for too long, Doncaster Greens are the only party offering a real alternative—working hard for communities all year round, not just turning up before an election.

Leading the charge are Councillor Tony Nicholson and Paul Garrett, standing in Roman Ridge ward, where Greens are the only ones who can beat Labour.

Tony Nicholson said: “People in Doncaster deserve councillors who listen, work hard, and stand up for their communities—not just politicians who take their votes for granted. Labour has had total control for too long, and they’re failing to deliver for local people. Paul and I are independent-minded, not told how to vote by party bosses, and we always put people before politics.

The Green Party is the only real opposition to Labour in Doncaster. Unlike other parties, Green councillors are free to speak up for their communities rather than being forced to toe the party line. They hold the Labour-run council to account, ensuring local voices are heard.

Paul Garrett added: “People in Roman Ridge tell us they’re tired of politicians who disappear once they’ve got your vote. We’ve been working hard in this community all year round listening, helping, and standing up for local residents. If you want councillors who put people first, the choice is clear.”

Doncaster Greens are offering voters a real choice in every ward this election. With a track record of action and a commitment to standing up for communities, they are the only party challenging Labour’s dominance and demanding better for Doncaster.

The post Doncaster Greens To Stand in Every Ward – Giving Voters a Real Alternative to Labour appeared first on Doncaster Green Party.

We are proud to have Julie represent the Green party here in Doncaster and she is eager to stand up, work hard and be a fresh voice for all residents.
Julie said, “It is clear to me that the two main parties have failed to rise to the challenges of our times and that the Green Party is the only party that offers real and workable alternatives to the failed “business as usual” policies that have got us to where we are today.”
There’s been a surge in Green Party members in Doncaster and across the country and, as our vote share continues to rise, Doncaster residents are realising the possibility of hard working Greens being elected and holding the council to account.

Right Homes, Right Place, Right Price
Our energy bills are far too high partly because we have the worst insulated homes in Europe. We are building the wrong homes, cheaply made but expensive to buy and live in. So, Julie proposes we deliver homes that people can afford to rent or buy while protecting our valuable green spaces, reducing climate emissions, tackling fuel poverty and providing genuinely affordable housing that meet the highest environmental standards.
Julie added, “As Doncaster mayor, I will push for a street by street insulation programme – this will not only make homes warmer but it will reduce energy bills and keep more money in the pockets of local people.”

Small and medium-sized business are the lifeblood of our economy and our communities
“I ran a popular bar in the centre of Doncaster so, I know that running a small business in Doncaster is hard work. We need to encourage small businesses and help them to thrive through Community wealth building (The Preston Model) which offers an opportunity for local business owners to take back control, and ensure that the benefits of local growth are invested locally.”
“I am in despair at what has happened to our market. Traders tell me they are having a tough time of it saying rents are too high making it very difficult to make a living. I say we need to stop relying on large corporations who extract wealth for the benefit of bosses and shareholders who live miles away when we could instead create the conditions where small local businesses can thrive.

Bringing buses back under public control.
Doncaster Green Party candidate for the local council election, Tony Nicholson said, “Along with Greens across South Yorkshire, Julie has been a consistent supporter of the Better Buses for South Yorkshire campaign. It is clear to us that the privatisation of our bus services hasn’t worked and many residents agree saying their bus routes have been cut and in some cases no longer run at all.” The recent franchising consultation showed that the majority (80%) of residents support a return to public control and Julie said, “I will work hard to ensure the South Yorkshire mayor makes the right decision making it easier for residents who need a cheap, regular and clean bus service.”

Julie will work hard for all our communities and, come May, we can make history in Doncaster by rejecting the same old tired old policies that have failed our town and elect Julie Buckley as the first Green Mayor in the UK..

The post Greens Announce Their Candidate for Doncaster Mayor appeared first on Doncaster Green Party.

Councillor Tony Nicholson, who was out again campaigning with the campaign group on Friday (pictured) said,

“This is the system used in London and many other major UK cities. If implemented, fares, routes, and timetables will be set by the local council and not by private bus firms.”

Please follow the link below and complete the consultation by saying yes to franchising. “We Own It,” who campaign for public services ownership, has produced a guide, linked below, on how to complete the form, quickly and effectively at: https://weownit.org.uk/VotePublicControlSY

Consultation ends on January 15th so there is still time to get your voice heard.

The post Better Buses Campaign appeared first on Doncaster Green Party.

The post Clearing Autumn Leaves appeared first on Doncaster Green Party.

On Saturday, October 5th Councillor Tony Nicholson and Green campaigner Paul Garrett answered the call to join artist Joanna Ruckland and a group of volunteers in a litter pick and art project by the canal near Don Bridge.

Tony Nicholson said, “I’ve done many litter picks before, but this is the first time creating art from trash.

We filled at least 10 bags between us.” The rubbings we made will be exhibited at Kelham
Island Museum, Sheffield in March 2025.

The post River walk and Plastic Litter Pick appeared first on Doncaster Green Party.

A Doncaster parish council is celebrating becoming the first in Yorkshire to achieve a top national award for providing a quality service.

Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish Council has earned the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) prestigious Quality Award after a passing a rigorous assessment process.

In a confirmation letter to Parish Clerk Emma Garner, Chair of NALC, Councillor Keith Stevens, praised the parish council, saying it is to be “congratulated immensely.”
“Receiving the Quality Award is an excellent achievement showing that your parish council achieves good practices in governance, community
engagement and council improvement.

“Furthermore, this award shows that your council has gone above and beyond the legal obligations; you lead your community and continuously seek opportunities to improve and develop even further”, added Coucillor
Stevens.

Described as being ‘closest to the people’, there are over 600 parish and town councils in the Yorkshire area, making Sprotbrough and Cusworth’s pioneering achievement all the more impressive.

Achieving the Quality Award is the second of a potential three stage process, with the pinnacle being The Quality Gold Award. NALC’s Coun Stevens added his encouragement, saying: “I very much look forward to Sprotbrough and Cusworth Parish Council applying for the Quality Gold Award and celebrating more achievements.”

Parish Chair, Councillor Tony Nicholson, said: “We are delighted with the award, which confirms our commitment to doing our best for the more than 12,000 people who live in Sprotbrough and Cusworth. A big thank you to Emma and her team and to the parish councillors, who voluntarily give up their time to serve the area.”

This article first appeared in the Doncaster Free Press.

The post Prestigious Parish Award appeared first on Doncaster Green Party.