Gloucestershire Green Party - towards a just, equitable and sustainable society

20-pound-note_1 Green District councillor Martin Whiteside proposed an amendment to the motion to approve the Council treasury management activity report. His amendment calling for the Council to look into ethical investment for their finances was successfully passed (i).

Cllr Martin Whiteside, Parliamentary spokesperson for Stroud District Green party, said: "I am delighted that the Council accepted this amendment. In the coming year the Council will now consider ethical and environmental issues in where they invest their money. This is real progress - in previous years the Council has refused to do this."

Cllr Philip Booth, also a Green party councillor said after the Full Council meeting: "By not supporting ethical banking and using normal banks accounts we are indirectly providing money for negative forces in the world such as Arms and Weapons production, third world exploitation and cruelty to animals. Whereas by banking ethically not only do you not support these things but your money is positively, actively assisting projects and businesses which are creating an alternative like renewable energy (ii). It is great the Council will look at this and as pointed out at Full Council in addition to those benefits, ethical banking doesn't have to mean getting a poorer financial deal (iii)."

Notes:

(i) Labour District councillor Miranda Clifton posed a question at Full Council last night about the Council considering ethical investment in their finances. An issue she has repeatedly and rightly raised at almost every discussion of finance reports. After this Martin Whiteside took the opportunity to put his amendment calling for the Council to look into it. All but one Conservative councillor abstained from the vote allowing a coalition of Greens, Labour, Lib Dems and Independents to allow the amendment to be passed.

(ii) See Friends of the Earth report:
http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/nation/ethical_money.html

(iii) Lib Dem councillor Dennis Andrewartha made this point at Council.

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