Thank you to everyone who voted Green in July:
Councillor Andrée Frieze and the local team would like to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for our Green Party candidate, Chas Warlow, in the general election in July. We saved our deposit, coming fourth overall in the Richmond Park constituency, with 6.3% of the vote. We have a flawed first-past-the-post voting system, which encourages people to vote tactically. Often, you end up voting for someone you don’t really want to win, just to keep out the party you like the least. Despite this, and the fact that roughly four in ten voters said this year they were going to vote tactically, 3,416 of you voted for our Green candidate and the values you truly support. That means a lot to us. Nationally, the Greens are on the up, making history by winning four seats in the general election. Quadrupling the Green MPs is an incredible breakthrough and will enable Greens in parliament to push the Labour government to be bolder on the environment, going further for a fairer economy, and mending our broken public services. Andrée says: “Thank you all. Nationally, the Green share of the vote doubled from 2019 to 2024, to 7%. With a fairer voting system, such as the one used for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, Greens would have over 40 MPs, not four.”
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Ham Food Bank
Every Tuesday, the Vineyard Community & Richmond Foodbank is available to help those in crisis. If you need food, support, friendship or community, please go and see them. When? 11.30am to 1pm Where? Ham Youth Centre, Ham Close, Richmond TW10 7PL Phone: 07516 935 655 Email: foodbank@vineyardcommunity.org Andrée says: “I would much rather have a fairer country where nobody goes hungry, everyone has enough money, and those with the broadest shoulders were taxed properly. But we are not there yet. Ham Food Bank is a valuable service for those who can’t put food on the table. Contact me if you need to be referred.”
Gypsy and Traveller update
Many Ham residents were impacted by the arrival of an unusually large group of travellers this summer. The group ping-ponged between sites, meaning the Council had to go to the High Court twice for injunctions to evict them. In 2019, Richmond Council was awarded an injunction, which meant Enforcement Officers could move on unlawful traveller camps without going to Court each time. In 2021, a new ruling prevented the Council moving on travellers without Court approval. Since then, there have been various appeals by local authorities on traveller injunctions and, in January 2023, the Judgment of the Supreme Court found in their favour. The Council is currently working on its Final Injunction and plans to lodge papers with the courts this month. The injunction will cover eight sites, including Ham Common and King George’s Field, and only lasts a year, although the Council is applying for three years. Andrée says: “Residents are rightly concerned about the impact of the recent group of travellers on our local community and green spaces, as well as the anti-social behaviour exhibited by some of them. I support the Council’s efforts to achieve a long-term solution to this issue, in order to protect residents and the environment. But, I would also like the Council to investigate negotiated stopping as an alternative, to enable Gypsies and Travellers to stop safely and legally. This works by bringing all parties together to reach a common agreement for Gypsies and Travellers to use an unused piece of land as a temporary stopping place. Terms are agreed, including time stopped on the land and services to be provided by the Council. This would include water, rubbish disposal and sanitation. Stopping can be agreed for a couple of weeks or months, but most are for around 28 days. Other councils do this as it saves on legal and clean-up costs, reduces antisocial behaviour, and improves outcomes for everyone.”
The Real Junk Food Project
Every Tuesday, 11.30 am to 1pm at Ham Youth Centre. A pay as you feel community cafe offers soup, smoothies, sweet pastries and tea/coffee. Bring a bag for surplus food to take home. No referrals are needed.
