With just two more seats needed to become the official opposition and the backdrop of a Liberal Democrat collapse at last year's General Election the Green Party has its tails up going into the Oxford City Council election on May 5.

The party currently holds six seats on the local authority, but if it took two off the Lib Dems- or picked up three seats off Labour- it could become the second-biggest political grouping in the city.

When Oxford went to the polls in 2014 for the last city council election the Greens picked up more votes than the Lib Dems and the party is now hoping to translate that into more seats.

The party's group leader Craig Simmons is standing for re-election in St Mary's, where he won almost 50 per cent of the vote when he was last elected in 2012.

He said: "The goal is to become the official opposition.
"We are already recognised by many people as the de facto opposition as we chair two scrutiny committees and the Lib Dems do not have any.

"Previously we have been second in many wards around the city and we are hoping to make breakthroughs in those areas."

Of the 24 seats up for grabs this time the Greens came second in 11 in 2012.

In Carfax just 53 votes separated Anne-Marie Canning, who won for Labour, and Green runner-up Adam Ramsay, 

This year Kate Prendergast will be hoping to take the seat off Alex Hollingsworth, who won the seat in a 2014 by-election.

Mr Simmons said: "We did very well in the General Election in Oxford East.
"It does benefit us that the Lib Dems have lost support nationally, some of those votes will go to us and some to Labour.

"In other parts of the city like North Oxford we also hope there will be a breakthrough.

"Lots of areas will be a three or four-way split and in some wards it will be a toss of the coin as to who benefits.

"In some areas the winner might just get 25 per cent of the vote.

"Our target is to get a two seat gain and we would be happy with anything more than that."

In some of the seats won by the Green Party in 2012 there was not much to separate them from the party in second place.

In Iffley Fields Elise Benjamin, who is standing again, defeated Richard Traver of Labour by 101 votes while Mr Simmons won in St Mary's by 69 votes.

He said: "The primary issue of concern to voters is housing.

"We have a very high rented sector and people are annoyed that the council is not acting on rents.

"We are proposing a form of rent control, people realise we are the only people pushing that.

"We are committed to bringing in rent controls and people realise that is a serious issue that the council is not addressing."

Oxford Mail:

Ward map showing which are held by which parties. Key: Red= Labour, Green= Green Party, Orange- Lib Dems, Grey= Independent

GREEN PARTY SHORT MANIFESTO

The Greens have had representation on Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council.

Our influence on council policy has helped to make our great city even better. 

Our six Green Party city councillors have shown themselves to be an effective force for change.

We believe that we need an economy that works for everyone- not just the privileged few.

We believe in engaging local people in making decisions that affect them.

We believe Oxford should be a city which welcomes people from around the world.

We believe in standing up against the Government to protect local services from damaging cuts and privatisation.

The Greens have been making a difference since 1994, with your help we can continue to deliver a better, brighter future for the people of Oxford.

At the 2016 city council elections the Greens are focusing on the following policy priorities.
-Delivering really affordable housing and fairer rents
-Improving public transport, making cycling safer and reducing pollution
-Giving people in our city more influence over community facilities and council services
-Planning a sustainable Green economy
-Campaigning against the privatisation of public services, especially in the health services
-Reversing local council attacks on civil liberties.

Oxford has average home prices of more than £420,000 and average room rents at £571 a month.

Oxford is losing nurses and teachers as their rates of pay are too low for local housing costs.

One key factors is the consistent failure of the Labour city council to address this.

Voting Green is key to obtaining the right type of homes to meet the needs of people who live, work, study and take refuge from conflict in Oxford.

The Greens have a long history of fighting for improvements for cyclists and demanding lower emission public transport with more frequent public services.

Others may recognise the problems but only the Greens have effective solutions.

In a democracy, people should have the power to shape their own lives- simply voting for politicians every few years is not enough.

Greens want to see people have a real say in their communities, rather than a council thinking that it alone can make decisions that affect us all.

The current council administration has taken powers and funding away from people, giving the most important decisions about the future of the city to just a handful of councillors.

The Greens will push for people to have more say in decisions that affect their communities- including shaping plans and sharing out money- to make those decisions more transparent and better represent people's interests.

Our public services are key to how we care for each other as a society.

Our schools and hospitals, teachers and care workers should be able to put us first and provide a quality service.

Greens have always seen good quality publicly-run services as essential to building a caring society.

They should be publicly owned, be of a high quality and be publicly accountable.

The Greens have a long history of solid support for public services at every level.

GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES FOR OXFORD CITY COUNCIL ELECTIONS

  • Barton and Sandhills – Ray Hitchens
  • Blackbird Leys – Matthew Ledbury
  • Carfax – Kate Prendergast
  • Churchill – Kevin Nicholas McGlynn
  • Cowley – Hazel Frances Dawe
  • Cowley Marsh – Steve Dawe
  • Headinton – Ann Alice Duncan
  • Headington Hill and Northway – Oliver James Fairey
  • Hinksey Park – Ben Carter
  • Holywell – Fiona Kelly Joines
  • Iflley Fields – Elise Danielle Benjamin
  • Jericho and Osney – Lois Knight Muddiman
  • Littlemore – Lucy Irene Fitchett Ayrton
  • Lye Valley – Tim Peter Pizey
  • Marston – Miranda Shaw
  • North – Claire Margaret El Mouden
  • Northfield Brook – Robert James Henry Paynter
  • Quarry and Risinghurst – Liz Taylor
  • Rose Hill and Iffley – Janet Mary Wallis Hall
  • St Clement's – Tim Eden
  • St Margaret's – Al Wilson
  • St Mary's – Craig Simmons
  • Summertown – Larry Sanders
  • Wolvercote – Sarah Janet Edwards