NI council elections: Green Party not facing do or die, says leader
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The Green Party says its membership has increased over the past year
Next week's council elections are not "do or die" for the Green Party in Northern Ireland in spite of its wipeout in last year's Stormont poll, according to its leader.
Mal O'Hara was speaking as he launched the party's manifesto in south Belfast.
He said the party had "a new energy and a new wave of activists" following the loss of its two assembly seats in 2022.
"Greens across Europe have lost seats, have had bad elections and have bounced back stronger," he said.
The party is are fielding 37 candidates in the council elections on Thursday next week, compared with 26 in 2019.
The party it is committed to '"greener, cleaner and fairer communities for all" and its manifesto pledges are based on those themes and include:
councils facilitating community-owned green energy schemes to reduce energy bills for households
councils "doing the basics" better, such as keeping streets and public realm clean and free from litter and graffiti
councils paying all employees a living wage and building a living wage into supply and procurement contracts
Mal O'Hara says his party is pushing for change on much more than just environmental issues
Mr O'Hara said: "People are facing into a number of crises without a [Stormont] executive to provide leadership and support.
"Green Party policies can help to address these crises at a local government level, whether that be the climate crisis, the housing crisis or the cost-of-living crisis.
"I believe that people across Northern Ireland are ready for more inclusive politics aimed at setting out sustainable solutions not creating continuing crisis."
He also said the Greens were not a "one-issue party" focusing solely on the environment and climate change.
Transparency in councils, reform of the planning process and criminal justice in society around drug use were some of the issues councillors addressed during the manifesto launch event.