𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

The Green Party’s candidate for the mayor of Greater Manchester election backed calls for “car free” Sundays and wanted to charge locals to park outside their homes. The Greens this week announced Geraldine Coggins as their mayoral hopeful. She pledged to offer a “positive” vision for the city-region’s future.

A glimpse at the Trafford councillor’s past may offer an insight into what that future might include. Ms Coggins was part of a local authority group which recommended banning cars from roads on Sundays, higher parking charges for larger vehicles and boosting active travel as alternatives to cars. Transport is set to be a defining issue of the Green’s campaign, The Times reports.

Ms Coggins, speaking at the launch of her campaign, said: “The Green Party has shown in Gorton and Denton and these last local elections that people are ready for a new kind of politics, one that puts communities, fairness and the future first.

“We did it in Gorton and Denton, and now we will do it across Greater Manchester.

“People are feeling abandoned by Labour and want real change to deliver affordable homes, thriving local communities and a healthier environment.

“They are tired of being told to settle for less. This campaign will offer a positive vision for the future of Greater Manchester and show that Green leadership can deliver real change.”

Party leader, Zack Polanski, claimed the mayoral election on July 30 would be a contest between the Greens and Reform UK.

But a FocalData survey for Hope Not Hate has shown Labour and Nigel Farage’s outfit separated by three percentage points, on 33.2% and 30.1% respectively.

The Greens were on 12.5%, the Conservatives 11.1% and Lib-Dems on 7.6%, according to the survey reported by the Manchester Evening News.

Labour has already announced Manchester City Council leader, Bev Craig, as its candidate. Reform UK is expected to announce its candidate on Monday. Dan Barker, who stood in 2024, is believed to have put his name forward.

Ms Coggins served on Trafford Council’s Reducing Car Dependency taskforce between January 2023 and February 2024.

A subsequent report urged the council to explore “the feasibility of introducing car free days and pedestrian high streets on Sundays”.

Other recommendations included a “strategic approach” to 20mph speed limits, planting trees every 25 metres along streets and help for people less able to cycle.

The taskforce also recommended varying parking charges according to engine and car sizes.

The Green Party told The Times: “Geraldine makes no apology for campaigning to keep people safe on our streets when there are more than 1,000 people killed or seriously injured each year in Greater Manchester.”