Following a ballot of all members of the constituency Chris Walker was unanimously selected and we publish here his statement on the strength of which he was chosen.

SUPPORTING STATEMENT: CHRIS WALKER

My experience in standing for the local election in 2006 was that local people in Kingston and Surbiton are very receptive to Green politics. Climate change is real and social inequality is real and people’s concerns regarding these issues are also real. The only thing missing is a real vision and leadership to address these issues in the current Government, and other political parties.

Locally, there are also some very real issues regarding air quality, congestion, access to local services and over-development. Our current MP does not have strong environmental credentials and needs to be challenged on these issues.

On a personal level, I have tried to do everything I can as an individual to minimise my ecological and carbon footprint, and always buy and invest ethically. My family uses 100% renewable electricity, a co-operative for phone service, recycles as much as possible, composts organic waste, and runs our car on bio-diesel. I am vegetarian and we grow our own vegetables. In the past I have organised a petition to get Kingston Council to recycle cardboard and have had letters in local newspapers published opposing developments. However, the scale of the issues our planet and society faces means that individual efforts are not enough and we therefore need to influence local, national and international policy. That is why I want to stand as the Green candidate for Kingston and Surbiton.

Chris Walker (Green Candidate in the May elections and mover of the email petition in favour of cardboard recycling) commenting on the 6% rise in recycling rates in Kingston said: “Obviously the latest figures are positive but we are so far behind. What we really need is a dramatic change.”. The current total of 24% is still short of the British Government's target of 25%. That target is itself totally inadequate when Flanders in Belgium has already achieved recycling rates of 71%.

Chris Walker added “Kingston has one of the worst records in London. The Council still only collects one a fortnight and it should be recycling more materials”. Chriss adds: “Some people don't like composting at home an others live in flats so they have no option. It would be really good if there was a collecting service for that too.” As is indeed is already being done in other boroughs