Will the Greens become England’s third largest party? Josh Martin
3 hr
Building on a solid performance in the local elections and higher salience of environmental issues, the Green Party is looking likely to play a bigger role in British politics by taking votes from Labour, the Conservatives and challenging the Liberal Democrats to become England’s third-largest party.
The headlines following the local elections may have been dominated by Conservative gains and a chaotic Labour reshuffle, but the results were also a fresh sign that more of the British electorate is changing their support to vote for the Green Party.
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As I write this in the run-up to Easter, it feels as if the world is slowly returning to life. Daffodils are everywhere and the days are getting longer and brighter. All of this coincides with us being able to spring back to life ourselves as the rate of the virus continues to drop, allowing us to enjoy the first easing of restrictions after lockdown. In Barrow there has been a 34 per cent drop in new cases, with a 16 per cent drop in South Lakes. This bodes well. The two very balmy days we had soon after that first easing on 29 March were a real bonus. It was lovely to see more people outside.
Prizet filling station near Kendal. Pictures: Google/PA Wire/Newsquest Plans for a major upgrade of a filling station near Kendal have been rejected by council planners. An application for the Prizet filling station on the A591 south of Kendal was put before South Lakeland District Council s planning committee for consideration, with proposals including new electric vehicle charging points and a drive-thru Costa Coffee. But the development, which had already been turned down in a previous, larger form, was rejected by the committee, despite the number of parking spaces being scaled back from 44 to 31. Councillor Janette Jenkinson, who represents Ulverston West, had been in favour of the plans going ahead.
The announcement came during a vote by cabinet members, during their first meeting of 2021. Town clerk and finance officer Jayne Kendall, who was present at he meeting said: “Yes this will happen in principle. But members can still opt back in to have paper copies if this is easier for them.” Cllr Patricia Jones, who represents Ulverston West, wants it to go further still, saying: “Let s go all the way and ditch the compliments slip as well.” Ulverston follows a long list of town councils that are aiming to become paperless this year. Members of the public and councillors can now easily view and download the papers from any device.