A Fairer,
Greener
Manchester

Manchester Green Party – Local Elections 2024

Photo: SGES

Manifesto

Candidates

Find your candidates:

Your ward is written on your polling card.
Or you can look up your address on whocanivotefor.co.uk
Remember to take photo id.

Ancoats & Beswick

Kate Benson

Kate bio coming soon Portrait of Chris Perriam

Ardwick

Chris Perriam

Chris was born in semi-rural Devon but soon became a city-dweller: first in Newcastle upon Tyne, now in Manchester where he’s lived in the city centre since 2004. He is Chair of the Friends of Sackville Gardens volunteer group who work closely with Clean and Green Castlefield. He has a special interest in green economics, planning and development and non-traditional political solutions to local problems.

Portrait of Jake Welsh

Baguley

Jake Welsh

Jake has been an active member of Manchester Green Party for the last 11 years standing in elections and holding many posts in the party, notably being a Green Party candidate for the North West England region for the 2014 elections to the European Parliament. He is a retail worker working in Manchester City Centre where he is the USDAW Union Rep for his workplace. In is spare time Jake loves supporting local live music as well as supporting local football teams FC United of Manchester and West Didsbury & Chorlton AFC.

Portrait of Grace Buczkowska

Brooklands

Grazyna (Grace) Buczkowska

Grace is a programmer from Poland who has lived in Brooklands, Wythenshawe, for over a decade. She has been a volunteer and a secretary of a Wythenshawe litter picking group right from its beginning. Concern about climate and biodiversity emergency is what keeps her motivated to act locally by acting on litter and improving green areas, parks and woods. As Brooklands candidate she will oppose sacrificing the valuable green spaces for development. Being a keen cyclist she will call on Manchester council to fully implement the Wythenshawe Active Travel Scheme without further delays and cuts. She will also urge the council to properly maintain the existing cycling infrastructure.

Burnage

Asma Alam

Asma bio coming soon

Portrait of Paul

Charlestown

Paul Hodges

Paul is a healthcare statistician. He has lived in Manchester since 2016 and loves the friendliness of its neighbourhoods, particularly through the pandemic. He also volunteers for the Mustard Tree homelessness charity. He is passionate about the need for more social housing throughout the city. He feels Manchester’s public transport should be more integrated and cheaper. He hates the amount of fly-tipping and litter whether they are blighting our housing areas or precious green spaces. He loves mountain biking and climbing.

Cheetham

Fesl Resa-Khan

Fesl bio coming soon

Chorlton

Kate Hughes

Kate bio coming soon

Portrait of Miles

Chorlton Park

Miles Walton

Born in Salford, Miles has been living in Chorlton Park for 10 years and used to be solid Labour until it dawned on him that if you want Green, you gotta vote Green. Outside of Green activism, Miles is a radio DJ, gig goer and photographer.

Clayton & Openshaw

Shams Syed

Shams bio coming soon

Portrait of Alison Hawdale

Crumpsall

Alison Hawdale

Alison is Manchester born and bred and has lived most of her life in this great city. She joined the Green Party two years ago and has worked hard to make sure Green issues are a high priority for Manchester City Council. Alison is a maths tutor, which leaves her time to campaign for Green jobs, a Universal Basic Income, and proportional representation which will allow every vote to count in every ward and constituency across the UK. Portrait of Chris Ogden

Deansgate

Chris Ogden

Chris is a journalist and media professional who currently works in communications for the Vegetarian Society. Chris’ priorities if elected would include expanding Deansgate’s supply of social and affordable housing, creating more green space in Manchester city centre and supporting the ward’s arts and music venues. Outside of the Green Party he enjoys playing video games, watching live music, and following the fortunes of Norwich City FC.

Didsbury East

There are two seats up for election in Didsbury East this year.

Charlotte Lanigan

Charlotte bio coming soon

Ben Dundas

Ben is a particle physicist, having studied at the Open University and University of Manchester. His scientific training leads him to push for firmly rational and evidence based solutions to our city’s climate and environmental challenges.

Didsbury West

Stanley Parker

Stanley bio coming soon

Fallowfield

Albie Mayo

Albie bio coming soon Portrait of Natasha Turner

Gorton and Abbey Hey

Natasha Turner

Natasha is a recent graduate in Geography the University of Manchester. Natasha grew up in Gorton and attended school in Denton. She became interested in the Green Party after learning how unfair the British political voting system is, as well as becoming inspired to get involved after the results of 2016. Her interest also stemmed from her love of geography and desire to protect the planet. Besides studying, Natasha follows Manchester City FC and enjoys spending time with friends.

Harpurhey

Jean Betteridge

Jean bio coming soon

Higher Blackley

Vicky Matthews

Vicky bio coming soon

Portrait of Ekua Bayunu

Hulme

Ekua Bayunu

Ekua bio coming soon

Portrait of Amanda Gardner

Levenshulme

Amanda Gardner

Hi, I’m Amanda and I’m delighted to be standing as your Green Party candidate for Levenshulme this year.

Levenshulme has paved the way for so many community projects with a green focus – the indispensable Inspire centre, conservation of the Fallowfield loop and local parks, as well as the ongoing campaign for safe and active travel to name a few. I’m proud to live and raise my children in an area of Manchester that’s committed to a progressive and sustainable future.

If elected, I would continue the good work of local active transport community groups and ensure our walking and cycle paths were a well-connected, convenient and safe means of travel around our great city, as well as furthering our campaign to make Levenshulme train station accessible for prams and users with decreased mobility.

Portrait of Bernard Ekbury

Longsight

Bernard Ekbury

Bernard has either worked or lived in Longsight for nearly 40 years, six of those as a benefits advice worker in the ward. He is also a former chair of the Manchester Environmental Forum. As well as assisting local residents, Bernard’s priorities if elected would be reduction in air pollution from street traffic and the health problems that causes, more truly affordable & social housing and seeing Manchester make faster progress towards its zero carbon climate change target. He enjoys playing online strategy games, is a member of a Manchester writer’s group and studies Tai Chi as a martial art, all of which, since retiring, he has plenty of spare time for.

Miles Platting & Newton Heath

Prashant Kumbhat

Prashant bio coming soon

Portrait of Thirza Amina Asanga-Rae

Moss Side

Thirza Amina Asanga-Rae

Thirza is a Nigerian born British National who spent her entire youth growing up in south Manchester. She began her career in railway services and operations before her passion for activism took her into full time representation with trade unions. She now works as a community organiser lead for Greater Manchester Tenant Union in Moss side and North Manchester where she addresses issues around racism, housing, disrepair, antisocial behaviour, the impact of AirBNB properties and the erosion of family housing.

Portrait of Dianne Kosandiak

Moston

Diane Kosandiak

Diane has lived in Manchester all her life and in Moston for the past 26 years. Being part Ukrainian, the last few months have focussed feelings a bit on what is important in life, family, community, principles, all worth standing up for. As a Green Party candidate she wants to promote the values that matter to her, a sustainable future for our children and a fair delivery of services that recognises every Mancunian should expect affordable housing, efficient, integrated transport, care and conservation of green spaces. As your local Councillor she would honestly and robustly represent all the people of Moston and New Moston, from the small businesses on Moston Lane and Broadway, to the individuals and families on Lightbowne Road, St Marys Road and Nuthurst Road.

Northenden

June Buchan

June bio coming soon

Old Moat

Laura Bannister

Laura bio coming soon

Portrait of Scott Robinson

Piccadilly

Scott Robinson

Scott is the current Chair of Manchester Green Party and has lived in the City Centre for 6 years. If elected, Scott would work to champion Piccadilly residents and make sure their voices are heard. Whilst development is often centred in the city centre, Scott would hold the Council to account on its commitment to providing decent, affordable homes- not just homes for the above average earner.

As a member of the LGBTIQA+ community, Scott would work with councillor colleagues to protect the Gay Village, and make sure developers respect the history of the area.

Scott would also focus on: making sure streets were cleaned; recycling was expanded (including food waste); and active and public transport was prioritised in the City Centre.

Scott would work to increase green spaces and protect existing ones. He would also work to increase pedestrianisation, to make a city centre a place that prioritises people, rather than cars.

Rusholme

Dennis Pirdzuns

Hi, I’m Dennis and I came to Rusholme in 2019 when I started to study at the University of Manchester. I got to know the neighbourhood as both vibrant and laid back, a great mix of different people from students to seniors with young families in between. My favourite places are the parks like Birchfield and Whitworth. What I also love about Rusholme is that it is just close enough to the city centre for a fun night out but far enough to be still calm and cosy. In 2021, I moved a couple of streets further West and only learned later that I live in Moss Side now. But I still feel just as home as in Rusholme.

Although I am not a local, Rusholme and Moss Side are in many respects very similar to where I grew up in Germany: a multifaceted, multicultural, urban neighbourhood that is attractive yet still affordable to live in. Similar are also the chances and challenges for the local community. Seeing it in my hometown and here in Rusholme, I know, it is not all sunshine and roses. Rents go up while houses keep crumbling, community centres scrape by and local volunteers need to pick up the slack, local shops close down, while shiny outlets are opened elsewhere. But I also know that it is in the power of local people to improve their neighbourhoods and with it the lives of those with whom they share it. And I know that diversity is a strength that can foster creativity, solidarity and an open mind.

I cannot promise that I can solve all problems that people in Rusholme are facing – and neither can the other candidates. What I can promise, however, is to listen to the local communities and speak up in Town Hall on the things that matter to the people in Rusholme.

Portrait of Brian Candeland

Sharston

Brian Candeland

Brian has been a member of the Green Party for over forty years and has lived in South Manchester for the past thirty-eight years. Over the years he has represented the Party in elections at local, Parliamentary and European level. He is currently Elections Coordinator on the Green Party’s national executive. Now retired, his other interests include amateur dramatics and walking.

Brian’s priorities if elected include affordable housing and improving the local environment including protecting green spaces. He wants to see better, more-integrated public transport, cleaner air, and improved walking and cycling.

Brian says: “We must treat the climate emergency with the seriousness which it deserves, and all our policies must be built on that.

“We have seen how Green councillors in neighbouring Woodhouse Park ward have made such a positive difference to the local community, it’s time to see that happening in other wards.”

Portrait of Billie Nagle

Whalley Range

Billie Nagle

Billie bio coming soon

Portrait of Sam Easterby-Smith

Withington

Sam Easterby-Smith

Sam is a creative technologist, software developer, and clockmaker. He has lived in Withington since 2012 and joined the Green Party in 2016.

Sam is particularly focussed on walking, cycling and public transport and ensuring that our streets are safe and livable for people. He is a firm advocate for building sustainable transport infrastructure from cycleways to railways, to achieve our long term climate and mobility goals.

His aims for Withington, Ladybarn, and the city in general are that we make the best of our urban space through building new parks, secret gardens, low traffic residential streets, and the pedestrianisation of shopping areas.

Portrait of Rob Nunney

Woodhouse Park

Rob Nunney

My name is Rob. I have been a councillor for Woodhouse Park in Wythenshawe since May 2021. The last three years have been a privilege and very rewarding to serve the residents of Woodhouse Park as well as being a Green voice in the council chamber. I am asking the residents of Woodhouse Park to put their trust in me to allow me to serve another term.

I was the first Green councillor to be elected in 13 years and the Green group has now grown to an opposition of four Green councillors. During my time as councillor I have proposed the motion to Council to support the Climate and Ecology Bill which asked Manchester MPs to do the same. This was passed unanimously. I successfully amended the Labour motion for Skills for Manchester to include a focus on green skills.

I am passionate about fighting to protect our home, planet Earth. I am also passionate about improving democracy. As one of the three Green councillors of Woodhouse Park we print and deliver monthly newsletters to our residents keeping them up-to-date with our work and what’s going on in the area. We also regularly knock on doors checking up on local issues all year round. This has had the effect of increasing the turnout for local elections by 5%.

I live in Wythenshawe and I want to be proud of where I live. As part of this ambition, I organise monthly community litter picks in Woodhouse Park. I care about road safety and active travel. I work with the police suggesting speeding hotspots to target and I campaign for better maintenance of existing cycleways. I successfully got the Simonsway cycleway fixed after months of non-stop flooding.

If elected, I will continue to work hard for the residents of Woodhouse Park listening to their concerns and taking action, and I will continue to champion a fairer, greener and safer Manchester.