THE St Helens Green Party has vowed to end what it calls a "relentless assault on our green belt" ahead of the Local Elections.

The party has launched its manifesto in the borough ahead of the May 6 elections and says it is aiming to become the "second biggest party" in the council chamber.

The Greens are standing candidates across most wards in next week's vote.

The party saw its first two councillors elected during the 2019 elections and will be hoping to make further inroads this year.

Ahead of the election, Emma van der Burgh of St Helens Green Party, who is standing in Blackbrook, said: “St Helens is turning Green. We are on our way to becoming the second-biggest party on St Helens Council – a strong voice in the council chamber for people who have had enough of being taken for granted.

“One of the lessons from the pandemic is that we cannot return to business as usual. Our aim is to lead a Green recovery in St Helens, to end this council’s relentless assault on our Green Belt, green spaces and natural habitats, and to put sustainability at the heart of all our decision making."

She added: “This year it is more vital than ever that Greens are elected so that we can fight for a fairer, Greener future for all. We aim to restore people’s trust and faith in local politics, to work with our political opponents as well as our friends, and to take power away from the town hall and closer to local communities.

“This election is an opportunity for voters to hold Labour to account and to reverse years of neglect. It’s about restoring integrity and honesty to local politics. It’s about building for the future – a local economy that supports independent businesses, thriving town centres, investing in education and training to meet the demands of a low carbon economy, modern, affordable public transport, creating a borough that really is cleaner and greener, and delivering a zero carbon St Helens by 2030.”