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30
Sept 2022
Ouseburn councillor opens Green Party conference in Harrogate
The Green Party autumn conference was opened this afternoon by Harrogate man Arnold Warneken, North Yorkshire County Council councillor for Ouseburn.
Cllr Warneken was elected in May with 69% of the vote and he gave a passionate speech to delegates at Harrogate Convention Centre.
He recalled how he was first elected as a councillor 32 years ago to the then-Harrogate District Council.
In those days, he was the only Green Party councillor in the north of England.
After his recent return to local politics, he said the five Greens elected to the county council in May were "already starting to make a difference". He accused the Tory-led council of "procrastinating" on the climate emergency.
Cllr Warneken also had some sharp words for Harrogate Spring Water and its plan to fell trees in Rotary Wood to expand its bottling plant.
He said:
He was followed by a speech from Green Party co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay.
The three-day conference ends on Sunday.
Read more:
- Green Party chooses man to fight Andrew Jones in Harrogate and Knaresborough
- Value of North Yorkshire pension fund secure following crisis, says council
The Stray Ferret spoke to Cllr Warneken beforehand where he said he was "proud and honoured" to open the event.
Cllr Warneken added:
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