Following the outcry over the decision to exclude the Green Party from the Metro Mayor debates, the Centre for Cities have released the following statement;
Speaking on behalf of Centre for Cities and Business West, Alexandra Jones (Chief Executive of the Centre for Cities) said:
“In the upcoming metro mayor election, it’s vital that a wide range of views are heard on the issues that matter most for the city region. Having reflected on the feedback and interest we’ve had from local residents, we feel the best way to do that is to invite all candidates taking part in the election to participate in the event. We look forward to hearing from all candidates about their plans and ideas for the West of England.”
In response, the Green Party’s candidate for Metro Mayor, Darren Hall said;
“This is a common sense decision by Centre for Cities and Business West that recognises that the Green Party are essential to the political debate. The strong public reaction to the initial decision to exclude the Greens from the debate clearly illustrates how much support there is for Green ideas locally and I look forward to participating in the debate and making the case for a prosperous and sustainable future for the West of England”
Original plans for hustings organised by Centre for Cities and Business West, the region’s Chamber of Commerce, set criteria based on previous parliamentary election votes, even though this is for Metro Mayor which has never seen an election before.
The Green Party had been told that only four candidates will be invited, namely from Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and UKIP. They added “If an Independent comes forward it will be based on the ‘merit’ of their chance of winning”.
Due to the criteria being based solely on votes not related to this position, UKIP would have be invited over the Green Party even though the Greens have 12 elected Councillors in the combined authority compared to UKIP’s zero.Follow Darren’s campaign at: http://metromayor.org.uk/