Sian enters the race to be the Green Party’s candidate for London Mayor

Sian Berry, the Green Party’s councillor for Highgate ward in Camden, today announced she will stand in the internal selection to be the Green Party candidate for the 2016 London Mayoral election.

Councillor Berry was Green Party candidate in the 2008 London Mayoral elections, running an enterprising campaign that saw the Greens leap from seventh in 2004 to a then best ever result of fourth.

Pledging to run a similarly creative campaign this time, she said,

“London needs a new kind of politics. For too long this city has been run for the powerful and privileged, and now it is in crisis thanks to inequality, dirty air and a broken housing system. The time has come for a new voice in London’s politics – one that stands up for the whole city, not just those at the top. Thankfully London is full of communities, movements and campaigns who are building this new kind of politics. They need an ally in City Hall, which the Greens can provide to create an open, tolerant city that celebrates diversity.

“When I ran for Mayor in 2008 the Green Party had around 1,000 members in London. This time we have the talents of 10,000. I’m determined that together we give Londoners the big, open, creative and inspiring campaign they deserve.”

Sian was elected to Camden Council in 2014. In one year, her achievements include securing a £1 million reserve fund for libraries and community centres hit by funding cuts, and a challenge to reductions in affordable housing provision in the King’s Cross redevelopment, winning praise from both UNITE and the NUT for her campaign. She has also argued for the extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone to include more inner London boroughs, and for Camden to take its fair share of Syrian refugees.

Expanding on her priorities as London Mayor, Sian added,

“With 4,000 Londoners estimated to die early each year because of high-levels of air pollution, it’s vital we tackle this as a matter of urgency by reducing traffic, restricting the number of heavily-polluting vehicles, making cycling safer and reversing Boris’ rapid increases in the cost of public transport.

“We also need urgent action on housing, which is the greatest cause of inequality in London today. I would totally rewrite the London Plan and do much more to control rent costs, crack down on empty properties, and make sure we get the new generation of social housing we need.“

Nominations in the Green Party’s selection process for Mayor and Assembly candidates are due to open on 1 June, and every one of the more than 10,000 London Green Party members will be able to vote. The final decision is scheduled to be announced on 2 September.

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