Havering and Redbridge Green candidate announced

Picture: Siân Berry (centre) and Ashley Gunstock (right) at the Green Party Bazaar

Local campaigner Ashley Gunstock, has been chosen as the Green Party's candidate to contest the Havering and Redbridge constituency in next year's GLA elections. Ashley recently launched his campaign while hosting Green candidate for Mayor of London, Siân Berry, at a Green Party Bazaar in St Mary with Christ Church on the Green in Wanstead.

Commenting on his selection, Ashley said: "I'm honoured to be selected to fight Havering and Redbridge for the Green Party. As we see more and more corporate takeover and environmental damage, a local Green voice has never been more urgent.

"If I'm elected next May, I'll be working to make Havering and Redbridge a Greener, more affordable place to live and work. I'd like to see Wanstead, Snaresbrook Redbridge tube stations re-designated into Zone 3 to make travel cheaper; I'll be campaigning on behalf of local business, like the cafes in Wanstead under threat from yet another coffee chain proposal; and putting more pressure on developers to provide the high-quality affordable housing that the area, like all of London, desperately needs."

Siân Berry, Green candidate for Mayor, added: "Ashley would be a brilliant Assembly Member. Long before he even thought of running, he's been doing a great job campaigning locally for a better deal for Havering and Redbridge. If I'm elected Mayor, I'll be helping him out with his campaigns by making all new large business developments set aside half of their floor space at affordable rents for local business, and increasing the requirement on developers to build affordable homes to 60 per cent of properties in new developments."

The Green Party Bazaar has helped raise money for Ashley's campaign for a Greener Havering and Redbridge.

Local Elections

Letter to Ilford Recorder and Wanstead & Woodford Guardian – May 2006

The Green Party’s wonderful performance at the recent local elections – we now can boast 12 councillors in London, a great many more nationwide as well as a doubling of our vote locally – has prompted me to write, in order to make the following acknowledgements.

First and foremost I would like to offer all the electors who voted Green on Thursday, 4 May our heartfelt thanks, for recognising the integrity of our campaign and showing the true colour of their conviction.

Secondly a great thank you must go to all the electoral officers, counting and polling station staff, who again worked extremely hard – and most effectively – in providing us with a smooth running (and quite painless) election run up and night.

Thirdly I must offer our appreciation to the staff at the Wanstead & Woodford Guardian/Ilford Recorder, for once more granting us such fair and equitable coverage, in recognition of our now being one of the small band of major political parties.

Finally I cannot but pay special tribute to my colleagues who fought such a superb campaign; it is a privilege to be counted as one of their number. Having been invigorated by our recent success, we are all now truly looking forward to fighting the next General Election with a genuine sense of optimism.

Ashley Gunstock