Greens can bring 'hope and joy' says Makerfield by-election candidate

The Green Party has vowed to find 'better solutions for the people of Makerfield' its candidate for the June by-election has said.

Sarah Wakefield told BBC Radio Manchester's Mike Sweeney: "I'm running because we are at a time in politics when there's a lot of anger and a lot of frustration.

"What we need is hope and joy and better solutions for the people of Makerfield and for the country."

Wakefield was speaking as part of a series of interviews with candidates from the major parties standing in the poll, which will take place on 18 June.

Wakefield, who was chosen after the Greens' first candidate Chris Kennedy withdrew from the race, said people feel "frustrated, unheard and frankly annoyed" by national issues.

She added: "Locally there's a lot going on as well: issues of flooding in Abram and Platt Bridge, there's greenbelt which is being built on and there's community assets which are crumbling and people are very upset and rightly so.

"The people of the constituency of Makerfield deserve to have their community assets looked after properly and a lot of the time the national conversation is not thinking about what's going on for people on the ground."

On immigration, Wakefield said the party's policy is that anyone who can contribute is welcome. She added: "What we hear on the ground is people asking parties that say once they control immigration things will be better - what are you going to do after that?

"So much of what makes our country great is our diversity."

Asked about whether the party had abandoned the original green and environmental issues that focused the Green party, she said: "At the heart of everything we do, we put planet and our communities as our foundation. You cannot have justice for the planet and nature without putting it hand in hand with social justice.

"We have a vast range of policies across every area, ready to fix this country."

Asked to explain her party's drugs proposals, she said: "The legalisation of drugs is all about taking a public health first approach and that means looking at what the best things are to help people who are addicted. Under a highly regulated system.

"Having a regulated system, done with professionals, means that people can get the right help that they need."