On 9 November, less than 24 hours after the election of climate change denier Donald Trump, Green Party members from Southwark and Lambeth attended the annual Dulwich and West Norwood (DaWN) Speak Up for the Climate meeting, organised by DaWN MP Helen Hayes.

A new secondary school for our area has been approved by the government after two years of hard campaigning by local parents, with over 1500 choosing the Charter School to be the provider as opposed to national academy chains. But the shortage of school places continues to be a major concern for local parents.

In January much-loved local toy shop, Just Williams, was forced to close after its landlord, the Dulwich Estate, raised rents by 70%. It is clear that the Dulwich Estate does not need to raise rents - the only reason for doing so is, in its own words, to "maximise revenues for the beneficiaries". In its last annual report the Dulwich Estate boasted record profits of £6.78 million (up from £6.26 million for 2013/2014). About 85% of its profits go to the three large local private schools while the four non-fee paying schools it also benefits receive only 15% of the charity's income.

The Green Party candidates for Dulwich Hill ward in the Southwark Council elections on Thursday 3rd May 2018 are Myrtle Bruce-Mitford and Jamie Vincent.

Myrtle Bruce-Mitford is a professional musician and music teacher as well as a qualified teacher of Dalcroze Eurhythmics. She has lived in Dulwich Hill ward (formerly College Ward) for over 30 years. Since joining the Green Party three years ago she has been a tireless and dedicated campaigner in two general elections, three by-elections, the London Assembly and Mayoral elections and the current local elections.

Jamie Vincent has lived and worked in and around Southwark for over ten years, with one of his daughters being born in the same hospital as her grandfather and great-grandfather. The issues faced by Londoners over housing have been shared as private renters by him and his partner, an Italian national, and the need to move home frequently due to rising rental costs and the demands of a family. He travels the borough by foot, cycle and bus. He lost his job in the museum sector through outsourcing, which he fought as a member of PCS Union, and has witnessed the cost of cuts to the arts and heritage sector, despite accounting for £24.5bn to the UK economy in 2015. He now works in Building Management. He has been a volunteer for organisations such as Groundwork London, London Wildlife Trust and Crisis, improving green spaces and supporting the homeless. His involvement with the Green Party comes from concern about the environmental issues that will affect his daughters and other future generations. The work of Green councillors in Lambeth and Islington, as well as our London Assembly members, has been an inspiration to show that the Green Party can make a difference to the lives of Londoners.

The Green Party candidates for Dulwich Village ward in the Southwark Council elections on Thursday 3rd May 2018 are Bill Chidley and Gulnar Hasnain.

Bill Chidley has been a resident of East Dulwich for 5 years, and has been a Green Party member for over 20. He has volunteered in various roles for the Green Party at local and London level in roles from canvasser to candidate, and has worked for former Green Party MLA Noel Lynch at City Hall. He is a well known London cycle activist and blogger, and has campaigned to reduce deaths caused by lorries for over 20 years. He is a great admirer of the work on road danger reduction of former Southwark councillor Jenny Jones, seeing Jenny’s work as contributing enormously to the quality of life of Londoners. He believes that the health problems caused by poor air quality are Southwark’s hidden health epidemic, and would actively and vigorously campaign for the council to radically reduce road traffic around the borough’s schools. He also believes that only if there are safe, segregated routes for cycling will the suppressed demand for cycling in the borough be met. He will therefore encourage the council to build on the success of the Mayor’s Cycle Superhighways and extend the network onto the borough’s roads. Bill, as the son of a London copper, also thinks that we need more police on the streets, and will campaign to reverse the cuts in police numbers and funding. 

Gulnar Hasnain is a local resident having first lived in the area over 20 years ago. She is a mum of three boys and works part-time for a social enterprise working with children in the care system. Gulnar joined the Green Party in 2014 having spent a year in Istanbul and realising what could happen to London in the absence of a strong Green lobby. Gulnar has campaigned on issues such as reducing air pollution, protecting green space and defending libraries. If elected Gulnar would work with others on reducing the high levels of air pollution in the ward, reducing crime and strengthening community safety, and supporting local business. Gulnar has an MEng in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College, an MSc in Development Studies from Birkbeck, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. She used to work for the Mayor of London’s economic development agency leading on climate change and sustainability strategy. In 2015 and 2017 Gulnar stood as the Green Party’s  Parliamentary Candidate for Vauxhall. 

The Green Party candidates for Dulwich Wood ward in the Southwark Council elections on Thursday 3rd May 2018 are Chris Glenn and Dale Rapley.

Chris Glenn has lived in Southwark for many years. He is a family therapist, working for many years in the area of child and adolescent mental health. He is currently a Professional Adviser for the charity Young Minds, providing phone consultations nationwide to parents and carers experiencing difficulties with their children. Over the years he has supported campaigns to defend the health service and other local services. He passionately believes in holding national government to account for growing inequality and poverty, whilst also opposing Southwark Labour's strategy of selling off council housing. Chris is clear it is these wrong policies that are to blame for the lack of services rather than migrants, refugees or the EU.

Dale Rapley is an actor who has supported a number of local campaigns, including fighting Lambeth Labour Party's plans to demolish the Central Hill and Cressingham Gardens Estates against the wishes of local residents, along with their running down of local library services. He also backed the successful campaign against Boris Johnson's attempt, along with Bromley Council and a Chinese consortium, to re-build the former Crystal Palace as a hotel and retail centre, and the recently successful bid to restore the cinema on Church Road to its former use. He has been campaigning for a proportional electoral system for over 17 years. Dale said: "I am passionate about the need for fundamental economic change to tackle inequality in our community. We need to shift away from the undemocratic corporate takeover of our city and encourage the development of environmentally sustainable, mutually supportive local communities and enterprises, including genuinely affordable housing, reliable transport and clean air." Dale has lived in Dulwich Wood Ward, formerly College Ward, with his partner, Bryan, for over seven years.