Penrith and Eden Green Party welcomed a visit from Green Party co-leader, Sian Berry this week. Sian, who co-leads the Green Party of England and Wales, spent Tuesday afternoon in Penrith as part of a tour of the north west, where she also visited Lancaster, Kendal and Ulverston.
The Party Leader met with local Party members and activists and they discussed important issues in the district, particularly focusing on the Eden District Council Executive’s Masterplan, the climate emergency, the District Council’s poor record on renewable energy generation, air quality in Penrith, the need for greener transport provisions, and the importance of upland management measures for flood prevention.
Penrith Town Councillor and Green Party member, Doug Lawson said “It was an honour to host a visit from the Green Party Leader. She has a wealth of election campaigning experience which will help us to shape our preparations for the district council elections in May when I am standing for Penrith Carleton. And I’m pleased to report that she was impressed by the work our local party is already doing.”
Sian had a tour of Penrith and visited Another Weigh, the new zero-waste shop. She was delighted by this new addition to Penrith and praised the contribution that this will make to the campaign to reduce the use of disposable plastics. Councillor Doug Lawson, who has recently taken the chair of Plastic Clever Penrith on behalf of the Town Council, commented: “I am really excited about the opportunity to work with partner organisations like Penrith Action for Community Transition (PACT) to press for changes that will reduce the excessive use of plastics in Penrith. Our plan of action will be announced very shortly.”
Sian also saw the Beacon area and described the huge development envisaged in the Masterplan as ‘incomprehensible’.
Sian Berry has led the Green Party jointly with Jonathan Bartley since September 2018. She was elected to the London Assembly in May 2016. She was the Green Party candidate for Mayor of London in 2008 and will be standing again as its candidate in the 2020 mayoral election.
