I HAVE read with interest several letters and comments in the Gazette recently which have questioned whether the Green Party has a role to play in the current polarised political context.

In such a volatile climate I’d say that the Greens’ role as a voice of reason amid the chaos is more needed than ever.

Greens differ from the other parties because we see environmental issues as central to our purpose rather than a minor footnote to grab a few extra votes.

We support local people battling to save their countryside from huge developments such as West Tey and from unwanted developments such as those proposed for Mersea Island and Wivenhoe.

With Communities Secretary Sajid Javid last week imposing higher development targets on local councils, a local green voice is not just relevant but essential.

In Witham, Green councillors have led the campaign against an incinerator on Rivenhall Airfield and successfully prevented development on the Bellfield green space.

Earlier this month, Greens won two council seats in Lewes and Cannock Chase, both taken from Conservatives.

This would not have happened were it not for the fact that Green councillors are seen to be delivering on issues that the other parties ignore.

In Sheffield, Green councillor Alison Teal was served with a legal notice by the Labour controlled council, merely for protesting at their removal of street trees from the city as part of a PFI scheme with the private company Amey.

Standing up to bullying on behalf of ordinary residents is what Greens and independents do best.

Colchester badly needs more Green and independent councillors who can offer real change rather than following the same old party lines.

With an ominously polarised national zeitgeist where the main choice we are told is between a Labour Party hijacked by the aggressive hard-left and a Conservative Party offering only austerity and probable economic chaos, there is a vacancy for a common sense fresh approach.

Mark Goacher
Colchester Green Party
Morant Road, Colchester