2 February 2021
Tonbridge and Malling Green Party stopped leafleting after all political parties discussed and agreed to suspend delivering political literature locally.
Guidance shared by the Leader and Chief Executive of the Borough Council and the Returning Officer at Kent County Council suggests that "election campaigning through the delivery of leaflets would not be considered a ‘reasonable excuse’ to leave the house and would be potentially subject to enforcement action."
Now we are told that the West Kent Conservative Association Campaign Manager and Borough Councillor Andrew Kennedy is using paid-for postage to send out 5,000 letters to help him get elected in May.
Aside from the dangerous precedent this sets for our democracy (that pizza delivery leaflets can be put through your letterbox, but material that might criticise the government cannot), we are deeply concerned by what this means for the fairness of upcoming elections. The ability to campaign cannot be a matter of available funds - we believe if it is unsafe for volunteers to deliver literature, it's inappropriate to hold elections until it is.
We want to fight a fair election on an even playing field. If we cannot hold a safe and equitable election due to the constraints of the pandemic, we would prefer to see the election day put back until later in the Summer.
However, when an election does take place we must be ready - and if that means paying to post literature to engage with voters and share our vision for challenging the Tory stronghold in Kent, then we will need your help to do it.
Our brilliant local campaigners Mark Hood and Paul Stepto have a real chance of winning Kent County Council seats for Tonbridge. Greens came second in Tonrbidge in the May 2019 elections, with other parties lagging far behind, and Mark and Paul are already working hard to hold KCC to account on critical local issues such as highways and cycle routes, public transport, school places and health and social care.
If we can raise £1000, we will be able to post a leaflet to every home in TN9 and TN10 sharing how Mark and Paul would stand up for Tonbridge and hold the Tory majority at KCC to account. Please help us get the message out - that Mark and Paul are working hard locally, listening to you, and that they can win.
If you would like more information and to contribute, visit:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/fair-election
Update: Thank you to everybody who helped us reach our £1,000 target so quickly. We appreciate you all so much.
Our stretch target of £2,000 has now been activated, which would allow us to post a second letter to every voter, outlining what we could do if elected and asking for their support.
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