Caroline Lucas

Caroline Lucas, the Green Party general election candidate for Brighton Pavilion constituency, and Councillor Bill Randall have denounced local job cuts.

In a meeting at the Brighthelm Centre they will look at the rising uncertainty many are experiencing, faced with cuts to jobs and public services. The meeting will include members from the University of Sussex who have occupied a university building and are holding demonstrations against the proposed 115 job cuts, a representative from RMT whose union is considering balloting for strike action, and a representative from the Campaign Against Climate change on green jobs.

Caroline Lucas, MEP for the South East including Brighton, said:
"The last thing we need to be doing in the current economic climate is making cuts. What is needed is investment in public services, to make sure we get out - and stay out - of recession.

"Investing in the success of future generations is essential, and benefits the whole of society, not just those studying. Cuts to Universities, such as those proposed at Sussex, will have a devastating effect on students and staff, and I have written to the Vice Chancellor of Sussex University to voice my concern over the proposed cuts to vital services such as UNISEX. We are currently in a situation where upon leaving school, students are paying huge sums of money to attend universities which are having their services cut, and then graduating into an unstable job market, faced with possible unemployment."

Councillor Bill Randall said:
"A million new green collar jobs could be created, if the Government puts the Green New Deal, long advocated by the Green Party, at the centre of the public spending programme that is needed to help the UK is to climb out of the recession.

"Men and women would be put to work across the employment spectrum, from researching and developing into new tools to tackle climate change to insulating homes. This work will substantially reduce the UK’s carbon footprint and reduce our dependence on finite energy resources that supply this country with oil and gas."

For more information about the Greens view:
www.brightonhovegreens.org