Steve McAuliffe – Arundel & South Downs – ready to take on the Conservatives

A hard-working community champion and environmentalist with a wealth of knowledge on local issues has been selected by the Green Party as its MP candidate for Arundel & South Downs.
 
Steve McAuliffe is an ex-British Army Air Corps soldier whose 20-year career in ecology and environmental management consultancy has spanned both industry and politics. He represents Arundel & Walberton on Arun District Council, is a board member of South Downs National Park, and recently completed his Masters, focusing on protected species legislation and anthropogenic impact mitigation.
 
McAuliffe has already shown that he is a viable option for many Conservatives. In the last 15 months he has won two elections in the affluent and ‘safe’ Tory ward of Arundel & Walberton – the second of which secured a further two Green seats and a clean sweep. 
 
“I believe we have a chance of taking this constituency from the Conservatives for the first time in decades¹. Life-long Conservative voters have voted for Green candidates in unprecedented numbers at recent local elections,” says McAuliffe.
 
“Our current systems and policies are failing to secure a sustainable and affordable future for the people of Arundel & South Downs, our wildlife and the wider world. A green technology and infrastructure transition is viable, economically prudent and in all our best interests and I believe Green politics is in tune with the values and views of the majority of Arundel and South Downs constituents.”
 
McAuliffe has a solid track record of delivering on campaign promises demonstrating hard work and an ability to get things done. A key campaign pledge last May was to prevent the development of an Air BnB ‘party house’ in River Road, Arundel. By September McAuliffe got the plan scrapped following significant work to discredit the financial basis of the project, the erroneous income predictions and unrealistically optimistic build costs.
 
Local party spokesperson Faye Mackenzie says: “I’m delighted Steve has been selected to represent communities across Arundel & South Downs in the much-anticipated election this year. Like the rest of the country, people in Arundel & South Downs are fed up of sewage, flooding, inappropriate development and the lack of investment in essential services like the NHS. Steve is the change candidate the people of Arundel & South Downs need as their representative in parliament.”

Carol Birch – Bognor Regis and Littlehampton

I am standing as MP for the Green Party in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton because the Green Party has the best policies for this area and our children’s’ future.

I have lived and worked around Bognor for almost 25 years with my husband and two daughters. My girls are now grown up and still live here so I am very committed to the constituency.

Because of my current job in housing and as an Arun District Councillor (including Chair of Housing and Wellbeing committee) I regularly meet and try to help people suffering from the devastating impact the Tory government has had here. Inequality and poverty have increased, there is sewage in the sea, public services are stretched or non-existent. Just try to find an NHS dentist! In addition the government framework for the local plan and housing target has led to development that the area cannot support. Arun is at particular risk from climate change with more extreme and frequent rainfall and rising sea levels combining to increase flooding.

Green policies include many sensible proposals:

• Nationalising the water companies- the only way to ensure the money we pay for bills is kept in the UK and used for its intended purpose.
• Rebuilding the NHS and protecting it from the creeping privatisation that both the Tories and Labour are proposing.
• Developing a proper Social Care system is an essential strategy for taking the pressure off hospitals.
• Stopping the use of flood plains for building AND adequately funding the Environment Agency to develop better approaches to flood defences.
• Building social housing, including using brownfield sites as a priority for building sites.
• Creating higher environment standards in house building and supporting a transition to a green local economy and regenerative agriculture
• Improving how our democracy works through more use of Citizens Assemblies and introducing Proportional representation. We must also modernise our outdated, bureaucratic government system.

The big question is – how will we fund this?

I think it’s time to tax the wealthiest to reduce inequality and redirect resources to a cleaner, greener future. We must also ensure that there is better scrutiny of spending – much of taxpayers money has been spent on contracts that have delivered huge profits to a few companies whilst delivering poor quality services for us.
If elected – and I have to tell you it is entirely possible in our area locally we have been winning – I will work hard for us in Bognor Regis and Littlehampton. I will also use the framework from the Climate and Emergency bill to promote much more substantial protection for our planet, our only home.

Worried your vote will not count? Then Vote Green to help us promote a change to Proportional Representation. Every Green vote will strengthen the message to Parliament and the media that we need to take the climate and nature much more seriously. As your MP I would be a logical, ethical and compassionate voice to challenge the two dominant political parties.

Tim Young – Chichester

I grew up in the village of Cocking and have lived in this area all my life. I now live in Easebourne village with my wife and two children. I’m happiest when I am outdoors, walking, running or Mountain Biking on the South Downs.
I have always been fascinated by politics and I studied Politics at University. The climate crisis, and the realisation that the mainstream parties would never take meaningful action, spurred me to get actively involved in Green politics.
I am a committed campaigner with experience of four local elections. I’ve twice stood as a candidate and have a proven track record of winning votes in traditional Tory heartlands:
 
In 2020 I was a County Council candidate. I finished second to the Conservative candidate with 550 votes, more than Lib Dem and Labour combined and 20% of votes cast. This was with no literature or posters. Just me with a green rosette knocking on doors for 2 hours a night.
 
This year I was elected as a District Councillor in the Chichester South Ward with 950 votes
 
As a District Councillor I am on the Environment Panel. I was inspired by Carla Denyer’s action on Bristol Council to declare a Climate Emergency. My first action as a Councillor was to propose that the Environment panel should write to our MPs in support of Caroline Lucas’ Climate and Ecology Bill. I worked to persuade members from all parties and the motion was unanimously passed.

My day job is delivering large-scale rooftop solar projects for manufacturing businesses, so I speak confidently about climate change, energy policy and how the Green Industrial Revolution can work in practice.
 
It is vitally important to run a robust and energetic General Election campaign: We need to show the people of Chichester that the only party who will take meaningful action on Climate Change is the Green Party. I will fight for Green solutions like Carbon Tax, Universal Basic Income and Home Insulation.
I’ve shown my commitment to campaigning for The Green Party and the skills I have demonstrated whilst campaigning and in my role as a Councillor are transferable to the role of a Green MP.  I will always be campaigning, persuading and influencing for a fairer, greener country.
My degree in Politics and career in renewable energy mean I can confidently speak about green issues, but my real point of difference is my proven ability to get people to turn out and vote for me. With your support I have a real chance of getting us over the line.