6 July 2015
The year 2014-15 has been momentous for West and South Dorset Green Party. We have seen our membership increase four-fold from 90 at the time of the last AGM in June 2014 to a current figure of over 360. Attendance at local party meetings has soared, with close to fifty attending the January 2015 meeting in Dorchester. In the recent local elections, we fielded a vastly increased number of candidates compared with previous elections for both Weymouth and Portland Borough Council and for West Dorset District Council, where we were second only to the Conservatives in the number of wards where we put up candidates. Many of these candidates were very new members, and special thanks go to them. In the general election, both candidates gained considerably more votes than in 2010 with one deposit saved and a second narrowly missed. All over West and South Dorset in both local and general elections far more people than ever before had the chance to vote Green and the total Green vote was by far the largest ever. Several members stood for local town councils and we congratulate Kelvin and Julian on their election to Bridport Town Council.
All of these achievements were possible thanks to a significant increase in the number of our activists and the considerable efforts of many members, enabling us to run campaigns on several fronts, including a very effective and well-led campaign in our target-to-win ward, Weymouth East, where we came a strong second – a considerable achievement in a general election year when the Tory vote turned out to prevent us from the a likely win in other circumstances. Another key factor behind our achievements in the elections was our very successful fundraising led by Matt Holborrow and the generosity of many members to whom I would like to express our sincere gratitude on behalf of everyone. Another successful plant sale and a Valentine’s night gig also added to our funds. Thanks to the recruitment of new members bringing vital new skills and experience, along with the efforts of more longstanding activists, our campaigning made use of a far wider range of strategies than ever before including websites, social media and video.
West and South Dorset Green Party has now become a significant part of the local political landscape. Following the success of our campaign for the 2014 European elections, our recent election campaigning enabled us to publicise the full range of Green policies. More and more of the public now appreciate that we are far more than an environmental pressure group. This broader understanding of what we stand for has been achieved in part by our year-round campaigning on a range of issues, often related to challenging the politics of austerity: for example, we have campaigned regularly for public ownership of the railways, for the restoration of cuts to bus services, to defend the local NHS as a publicly-owned and provided service, for proper local democracy through our support for the Public First campaign, as well as supporting campaigns for local renewable energy and opposition to fracking. Finally, of course, we played a crucial part in setting up the very popular campaign to reinstate public access to Castle Cove Beach in Weymouth.
The fast pace of the vast increase in membership has been an enormous benefit to our capacity for action but it has, of course, also brought challenges. Our Secretary and Membership Secretary, Richard, has done a magnificent job in welcoming and keeping in touch with hundreds of new members. The website, so ably maintained by Benn, has also played a vital role in our ability to keep members and the wider public up to date about our activities and our policies. During the year, we established the practice of having a policy discussion at the beginning of every local meeting. This has made our meetings more lively and interesting and has given far more members the opportunity to contribute their views. Thanks to the efforts of Matt McCourtie, we have not only successfully maintained the Young Greens as part of our organisational structure but Matt has also established good links with South West Regional Young Greens.
On everyone’s behalf, I would like to use this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed so generously of their time to the party’s activities this year. These members are too numerous to mention by name but they include all who did canvassing, newsletter delivering, leafleting, campaigning with our policy banner stand, organising public events, contacting the press and media, taking and drafting of minutes, standing as non-target candidates, organising and distributing posters and placards as well as those mentioned before who supported us financially. Special thanks are due to Benn for desktop publishing to such high standards all our leaflets, newsletters, posters etc and to Russ for the superb election videos. Considerable thanks are also due to Clare for working so hard and effectively as candidate in Weymouth East, to Jon who stood in Weymouth West and to Jane for working across the whole of South Dorset to broadcast our policies as our parliamentary candidate there. Brian should also be hugely thanked not only for his contribution to our target-to-win campaign and his highly organised work as our election agent but also for the fact that he did all of this when, for much of the time, he was working as co-writer of the excellent national Green Party manifesto. Finally, I would like to thank all who have served as officers over the past year, some of whom will be standing down at the AGM after several years of contributing much to our development as a party.
Peter Barton, Chair
June 2015
p.s. On behalf of the entire party, the Annual General Meeting attendees wanted to make a special thank you to Peter and Libby, as outgoing officers, for their efforts over the years that they have served the party, for what is sometimes a thankless job. Their dedication has been exemplary.
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