News and views from Fife Greens

Connecting communities in Fife

Andy Collins Wed 22 Mar, 2017

For the sake of our personal health and for the health of the planet, we need to facilitate sustainable modes of transport.

Cyclists, for example, need suitable infrastructure to avoid conflict with traffic and pedestrians. Green councillors will actively support groups like St Andrews Space for Cycling and Cupar Active Travel (part of Sustainable Cupar) to achieve this.

What good could a Green Councillor do in Fife?

Andy Collins Wed 22 Mar, 2017

Even one Green councillor will ensure it’s not more of the same in the council chamber.

Greens will always work to put people and communities first. Green councillors across Scotland have fought for jobs, investment in schools, safe roads, green spaces and community say over decisions:

Use your vote

Andy Collins Wed 22 Mar, 2017

The council election on 4th May will use the single transferable vote system (STV).

The counting is, admittedly, complex but the voting is not, all you have to do is simply rank candidates in the order you would prefer them to be elected.

We are asking you to please give the Green candidate your fi rst preference vote, but it is important to rank as many candidates as you can.

Remember that giving a later rank (higher number) to a candidate has no effect on the whether your earlier choices are elected or not.

Introducing Kerstin Romano - your Scottish Green Party candidate for Dunfermline Central

Kerstin Romano Fri 17 Mar, 2017

I have been living in West Fife for the last 16 years with my husband and daughter, having moved to Scotland from my native Germany in 1998. I work as a dispensing assistant at a pharmacy in Alloa and have been a member of the Scottish Greens for several years now. I am passionate about local politics and believe people should have the powers to improve their lives and their local communities.

Fife Greens oppose fracking

rcr14146 Fri 17 Mar, 2017

Fife Greens are committed to supporting renewables and opposing fracking and other methods of unconventional gas extraction, including underground coal gasification (UCG).

Fife has a beautiful coastline and countryside, which would be at huge risk from fracking. We believe that fracking and other unconventional fossil fuel methods have no place in Scotland – to make a fair contribution to international climate change efforts we will have to leave some fossil fuels in the ground and unburnt.

Better public transport for Fife

rcr14146 Fri 17 Mar, 2017

The Scottish Green Party believes that regulating buses and bringing rail travel back into public hands can create an affordable, reliable public transport system for Scotland.

We believe that bus companies should be there to provide the service that people need, not what the company wants to provide.  Too many people are under-served by local buses, as less profitable routes (e.g. to Kinghorn and Auchtertool) are reduced or withdrawn. Rural areas and deprived communities are particularly hard hit by service cuts and high fares.

Fife welcomes refugees

Lorna Ross Fri 17 Mar, 2017

Scotland is an open and welcoming country with a long history of giving refuge to those fleeing war and persecution. The Scottish Green Party believes that all those who have been displaced by violence should be offered a welcome in Scotland, regardless of their age.

One of our local election candidates, Lorna Ross, has spent over two months in Greece in 2016, supporting refugees in various camps. She actively supports Syrian refugee families now living in Fife, and works closely with Green MSPs Ross Greer and Mark Ruskell to raise awareness of the crisis in parliament.

Benefit sanctions win

Cairinne MacDonald Fri 17 Mar, 2017

The current government benefits system and use of sanctioning penalises the vulnerable and entrenches poverty.

Supporting local businesses in Fife

rcr14146 Fri 17 Mar, 2017

Our town-centres have seen a lot of change recently, including the closure of BHS and Tesco in Kirkcaldy. However, it has also seen a number of new businesses moving in.

The transformation of the old McDonald’s, for example, has enriched the choice of products and services on the High Street, with the addition of a coffee shop, an independent farm shop, and an ice cream parlour.

We support an economy with local businesses and social enterprises at the centre. These strengthen the community, putting local jobs, social and environmental benefits at the core.