The 2024 UK general election will certainly go down in history as a significant one. As the election speeds towards its conclusion, it seems more and more apparent that the Conservatives may be in for serious trouble. Rishi Sunak’s decision to call a snap election has seen the party unable to field a candidate in one seat, Rotherham, for the first time in decades and seen scandals hit both the Prime Minister and the party more generally.
The Prime Minister’s decision to leave the 80th anniversary D-Day commemorations early caused consternation across the country. And with recent allegations about Conservative parliamentary candidates and members of Conservative central office betting on the date of the election, the national result seems precarious to say the least.
Equally, things seem far from certain in the Prime Minister’s own constituency of Richmond and Northallerton, where recent polling has shown that the Labour Party is closer than it has ever been to winning the seat. The Prime Minister has been seen campaigning more in the constituency of late than you might otherwise expect. Speculation is mounting that the Conservatives are putting extra resources into the constituency in order that Sunak doesn’t become the first prime minister in British history to lose his seat at a general election.
One of the candidates hoping to cause the political upset of the night is Kevin Foster, the Green Party’s candidate. The Greens have seen an increase of support in the polls and several notable local election victories in recent years. I previously interviewed Kevin earlier this year when he stood as the Green Party’s candidate to be mayor of York and North Yorkshire, winning 8.0% of the vote.
Meeting the Green Party’s candidate, Kevin Foster
The first question I wanted to ask Kevin in this interview was why he wanted to stand as the Green Party’s candidate for Richmond and Northallerton.
“I really feel the time is right for me to do this,” he began. “I’ve gained a lot of experience working in local government on parish and town councils, on Richmondshire District Council and now at North Yorkshire Council. I know how things work and have the experience, commitment, integrity and confidence to represent Richmond and Northallerton at Westminster.
“Also, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to challenge the Prime Minister in his own seat and it gives me, as a representative of the Green Party, the chance to show how much better this wonderful area could be if represented by somebody who genuinely cares about it. I have lived in this constituency all my adult life. I love it here and want to fight for this area to make sure it’s the best it can be.”
What, I wondered, did Kevin think distinguished him from the other candidates standing for election.
“I’m an ordinary bloke who just wants to do the best he can to represent the people who live in the constituency. I live here all the time and know what the issues are on a day-to-day basis. I have a proven track record in local government and get genuine satisfaction from helping people, problem solving and getting things done.”
The main issues in the campaign
I turned next to what Kevin considered the main issues of the campaign to be. It’s no surprise that part of the rise of the Green Party has been due to climate change and the effects that we have all seen of it both in the news and in our everyday lives. Foster wanted to stress in his response that he wasn’t simply focussing on the environment; he considered there were five main issues in this election: the NHS and care services; housing; water quality; the economy; climate change and the environment.
Foster emphasised that the Green Party’s plan for the NHS and care services would be implemented by raising taxes for only the wealthiest people, those with assets over 10 million pounds. Care companies would also be lobbied to ensure that, alongside an increase in the pay for care workers, there was a proper career structure to aid career progression within the sector.
On housing, Foster stated that he would work towards making sure he would lobby the government and council to “build the right housing in the right place and at the right price, always in consultation with local communities”. Alongside this, if elected, Foster said he would work towards bringing water companies back into public ownership, support local businesses and “defend nature and tackle the climate emergency”.
House building in Richmond and Northallerton
I wanted to ask Foster more about house building in the constituency, given that it’s one of the five main issues in the election for him. Some have criticised the Green Party for being NIMBYs (not in my back yard) in regard to housing, but Foster agreed that we need to build more houses – but crucially to higher standards. “Everyone,” he said, “deserves a safe, warm place to live, and I would work to make that happen in this constituency.”
I asked how, as MP for Richmond and Northallerton, he would go about this. He said he would “lobby the government for higher standards in terms of insulation and renewable energy systems. The government of the day dictates the standards and, as a country, we need to be forward thinking, not just in terms of the quantity of housing but also in terms of the quality. Housing needs to be cheap to heat and resilient to climate change.
“The public sector also has to play its part and we need to do two things: build more council houses and end the sale of the council stock we already have.”
He did, however, also make the point that houses need to be built in the right place, at the right price, and with the infrastructure to support them:
“Building houses without the roads, waste water capacity, schools, doctors, dentists and so on just creates more problems down the line. I would work with North Yorkshire Council, the mayor of York and North Yorkshire, housebuilders and, very importantly, local communities to make sure that new housing is the right housing and in the right place.”
Transportation
Given Kevin had emphasised the interconnectedness of housing and transport, I wondered what he believed he would be able to do to improve transportation in the constituency if he was elected.
Arguing that the rural nature of the constituency can make it difficult for people to get from A to B easily, Foster suggested that this disadvantaged a large group of people. If elected, he would “push for local authority control and subsidies from government for bus and rail services”. It’s crucial, he said, that public transport should be “reliable, frequent, accessible and affordable, making it preferable to travelling by car”.
Foster suggested that this, alongside a drive with other MPs elected in neighbouring constituencies to make transport greener, would be a top priority for him.
Farming policies for rural Richmond and Northallerton
Turning to the issue of farming, I asked Foster what he would do to help local farmers in Richmond and Northallerton, a very rural constituency:
“I would campaign for an increase in support for farmers to support the transition to nature-friendly farming. We need to conserve and improve the health of the soil and the wider environment. I would want to see farm payments linked to a reduction in the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertiliser, so that farming has a positive effect on the environment.”
He also said he would encourage links between farmers, schools and the wider community, leading to better appreciation and understanding of how our food is produced and where it comes from.
The environment
I then turned to the issue of the environment, an issue Green Party representative Foster said was of great importance to him. He mentioned that at Richmond District Council he had brought forward the motion for their climate emergency declaration and also supported the declaration by North Yorkshire Council. So how did Foster think he would be able to improve the local environment if he was elected as the MP for Richmond and Northallerton?
“Part of the Yorkshire Dales National Park is in the Richmond and Northallerton constituency and it is obviously a beautiful place to live in and visit. But that doesn’t mean all is well in terms of nature and biodiversity, and pollution in rivers such as the Swale and the Ure is a massive problem.
“Sewage in our rivers and waterways is an enormous issue because the government has let water companies off with underinvestment and unacceptable practices for decades. As MP, I would fight for fundamental change in the regulations so that the polluter pays. I would work closely with North Yorkshire Council and the mayor of York and North Yorkshire to ensure that Yorkshire Water and the developers of major housing and industrial projects fulfil their duties on sewage. It’s currently a tick-box exercise and it shouldn’t be.”
Working with David Skaith
Given that North Yorkshire now has its own elected mayor, Labour’s David Skaith, I asked Foster how he hoped to work with Skaith across party lines if he becomes Richmond and Northallerton’s first Green MP.
Foster replied that he had a great deal of respect for Skaith, hoped to be able to work across party lines on issues like transport, and stated that he believed Skaith to be open to ideas regardless of which party came up with them.
Green candidate Kevin Foster’s final message and election day
Coming to the end of our conversation, I asked Foster what his message would be to those voters of Richmond and Northallerton who haven’t yet decided who to vote for:
“People should vote for me because I have the energy, personal qualities and life experience to represent them at Westminster and I am the only candidate who wants to do politics differently and better, offering real hope and real change.”
Kevin Foster clearly is determined to make a mark as a Green Party representative in North Yorkshire. But regardless of who you intended to vote for, make sure that on 4 July you make your voice heard by voting for the person you believe will best represent you in the next parliament.
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