Darren Grimes’ Reform council sees financial black hole grow by £11m

Our Autumn Budget 2025 briefing summarises the key announcements for councils and provides an initial LGA view. Read it here: https://orlo.uk/tTZdC

Help Ward Freman Community Pool Group CIO fundraise to reopen our swimming pool in Buntingford. They need to raise £15K to access same amount match funding from Sport England to spend on vital tile repairs. Please donate if you can. www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/repair-poo...

So it looks like Rachel Reeves has *not* abolished or cut back the cycle to work scheme. Perhaps she has read the Treasury's own 2023 assessment of the scheme, which found that in terms of creating modal shift, and thus boosting public health, it is very, very effective. www.gov.uk/government/p...

“In Finland, the number of homeless people has fallen sharply. Those affected receive a small apartment & counselling with no preconditions. 4 out of 5 people affected make their way back into a stable life. And all this is CHEAPER than accepting homelessness.” It costs a lot less to house people.

Petition: Call a public inquiry into Russian influence on UK politics & democracy petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...

Things move quickly in politics. The idea of a Sunday broadsheet dedicating it's entire front page to @greenparty.org.uk is huge, and let's be honest, a sign of changing times. People are sitting up and noticing @zackpolanski.bsky.social join.greenparty.org.uk

Wilder Ware are holding the first of their free talks on Thursday, Find out about what dark skies can mean for us. We hear there is cake!

Local residents can read the latest from your Buntingford Green Councillors in our Winter newsletter. Details of exciting new community projects, renewed hope for reopening our local swimming pool and wildlife initiative. We work hard for our community all year round.

If you're in Hunsdon, look out for our winter newsletter

Let communities own rivers, woods & moors! Excellent to see @simonforstroud.bsky.social has tabled amendments 107 & 108 to the Devolution Bill to strengthen Community Right to Buy laws in this way. We need more Labour MPs to support this - email yours: www.reclaimourmoors.uk/write-to-you... 1/

Nature not a blocker to housing growth, inquiry finds

Labour becomes even more cruel and heartless just to appeal to racists If you believe Britian should be a place of decency, safety, and humanity, then you must oppose this In @greenparty.org.uk we say it loud and say it clear, refugees are welcome here www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Watching Labour MPs take a wrecking ball to nature makes me so angry & so sad. Their action tonight voting down amendments to the #PlanningBill intended to protect wildlife & habitats from destruction is so reckless & so counterproductive. People didn’t vote Labour for this 👇

China’s emissions have peaked, five years ahead of schedule. A moment of epochal importance. bsky.app/profile/carb...

My brother is an electrician who works in offshore wind. He sent me this photo of the largest turbine installation vessel in the world. Skilled jobs, good pay, and secure futures. While fossil fuels shed jobs and destroy the planet, renewables are delivering for the working class.

The Green Party leader Zack Polanski has just announced two defections from Labour to the Welsh Greens. Sean Morgan, former Labour leader of Caerphilly Council has joined the Greens. Former Labour group leader on Carmarthenshire County Council Robert James has also defected. 1/2

The 8 Kent offenders sent to jail for more than 100 years. These are the most common types of faces of sex offenders. White British.

A new @climateanalytics.org report has come out today, with a profoundly hopeful message: even though the world is on track to exceed 1.5°C of global warming, we can peak at 1.7°C and get temperatures back down well below 1.5°C by end of century. But.... only if we phase out fossil fuels, fast. 🧵

Someone just shared this with me: 1967, 3,000 publicans marching against introducing breath tests for drivers. Barbara Castle MP got this introduced and speed limits and seatbelts as mInister for transport, and faced the standard opposition.

From an Oxford bus driver ⬇️

Last night, Peers voted against Swift bricks: rejecting a simple, proven way to help one of our fastest declining birds recover. ❌ We share @hannahbournetaylor.bsky.social's disappointment & frustration. The vote came late, but with government refusing to back it, its fate was already sealed.

Come along to our next Buntingford Green Drop-in event on Wednesday 5 November from 10am. You can chat to your local green councillors and discuss local and national issues with like minded people. Join the Green conversation. Everyone welcome.

Make walking the easy choice for local journeys www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Minority representation on TV causes outrage From the new Private Eye, in shops now.

Farage's motion on leaving the European Convention on Human Rights failed: 154 votes to 96 All 4 @greenparty.org.uk MPs voted against it, because we believe international agreements on human rights are a good thing. But only 63 out of 401 Labour MPs did: votes.parliament.uk/votes/common...

Richard Murphy almost definitely brought the receipts this week

It definitely lifted our spirits 💚 and great to be acknowledged.

4000 people have joined the Green Party today alone. And we're close to breaking the target for the most in one day! Join.greenparty.org.uk

First newsletter published! simple.ghost.io/what-seems-t... If you like this sort of thing, sign up for more

We can't keep up... Yesterday we reached 90,000 members. Today we're at 95,000. Be part of the Green surge. Join the Green Party today ⤵️

💥 WIN 💥 Remember Ofcom’s investigation into GB News’ homophobic comments? Well, they’ve finally got back to us 👀

As news comes out that Greta Thunberg and hundreds of other flotilla members are being tortured in Israeli 'prisons'. I ask you. Do you stand with Greta Thunberg? Spread the message Free Greta Thunberg if you do.

I would be interested in seeing a decent engineering drawing, details of how the motoring network has been unravelled and a forecast of expected cycle and motor flows. Based on the image? Not a cycle street with parking bays sticking out like that. 1/5 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Kemi Badenoch's pledge to scrap the Climate Change Act has now been condemned by Theresa May, Lord Deben (John Gummer), Alok Sharma, the Confederation of British Industry, the Church of England, the Catholic Church - all previously mainstays of the Tory party: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Did you watch The Hack? I can't believe papers have gotten away with destroying lives for so long. That's why I've signed the petition, set up by Hugh Grant and other phone hacking victims, to demand fair, independent regulation. Join me: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/a-...

Failing to adopt a national approach to 20mph as an urban/village norm in England increased 2024 casualties by 15,000 and insurance costs by £2bn. Read our latest press release in anticipation of the release of the DfT 2024 road casualty stats. bit.ly/4gIBPlJ

We are holding our first Repair Café in Buntingford, Hertfordshire this Saturday. Still a few repair slots left. Book your items in here free of charge www.tickettailor.com/events/bunti... Nothing to mend? Why not come and have a cuppa and slice of cake at our pop up café.

The truth: we need migration. The problem: too many politicians are terrified to say it. Why? They're led by a) toxicity of the charlatans & b) wealthy media organisations who demand these useful distractions rather than us talking about inequality. Reject it. Draw the line.

"Zack Polanski described a second Gatwick runway as a “disaster”. “Ignores basic climate science and risks undermining efforts to tackle the climate crisis. “Labour keeps wheeling out the same nonsense about growth, but at what cost?” www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

🎉 Green WIN! 🎉 🌹 to 💚 💚 Congratulations to Marina Lademacher of @bhgreens.bsky.social on being elected in Queen's Park ward!

Queen's Park (Brighton & Hove) Council By-Election Result: 🌍 GRN: 48.4% (+19.9) 🌹 LAB: 31.1% (-15.0) ➡️ RFM: 10.1% (New) 🔶 LDM: 4.2% (+1.7) 🌳 CON: 3.5% (-2.7) 🙋 Ind: 2.7% (New) No BHI (-16.7) as previous. Green GAIN from Labour. Changes w/ 2024.

Agree was same on BBC World at One today but Lee Waters was brilliant.

Thank you for writing this.

I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore. So I wrote a blog about ten things you can do *right now* to help defeat Farage, Musk, and rightwing populism. From scrutinising Reform councillors to demanding the UK Govt leave X - get involved: guyshrubsole.substack.com/p/ten-things...

“It’s time to stop the anxiety, the physical strain, and the dangerous detours that pavement parking creates. The Government should amend the English Devolution Bill and give councils in England the same enforcement powers that London and Scotland already have” Spot on @walkwheelcyclet.bsky.social

Last night, Tory and Reform MPs voted to weaken your rights at work... Labour is delivering the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation through the Employment Rights Bill: ✅Better sick pay from day one ✅Bereavement leave ✅No more exploitative zero-hours contracts

Good to see the demand for 20mph in villages throughout Gloucestershire.

Only 1 in 5 Britons want less to be done to tackle climate change, and drivers of concern remain if lower down the pecking order, 60% of Brits worry about future heatwaves and nearly 80% think climate change at least partly responsible for weather this summer.

All avoidable injuries are bad, but context is essential. Alongside this story, it's surely essential to say that there were 133,000 car-related injuries in 2024 in the UK, including 1624 fatalities & 28k "serious" injuries. E-bikes aren't the major problem. Data: www.chas.co.uk/blog/uk-car-...