Residents in Oxfordshire are suffering from the 'triple whammy' of climate change, development on flood plain and poor investment in flood control and prevention measures says the Green Party who are the only Party in Oxford to be opposing continued flood plain development. Labour nationally and locally (Cllr John Tanner speaking on BBC Radio OXford on Monday) are continuing to support development on the flood plain.

Says Cllr Craig Simmons who visited affected residents on the Weirs Lane Estate in Oxford, along with Cllrs Chip Sherwood and Elise Benjamin, on Monday; "The enthusiasm of local authorities to continue to build on flood plain and run-off land is difficult to fathom. Only recently the LibDems and Labour Cllrs on the City Council agreed to put an underground car park on the Westgate site - which will seriously affect the water table - and included development on Warneford Meadow in the Local Plan. And this week Councillors are considering putting a new University book depository on the flood plain at Osney Mead. Councillors must stop blaming everything on other agencies, or suggesting that the floods are solely due to climate change, and take responsibility for their own actions."

The Greens have repeatedly opposed new developments in the flood plain and on run-off land and also oppose the Environment Agency's plans - outlined several years ago - to build a new river around Oxford and support upstream measures to better manage peak flows as set out in an article by Oxford Green Party member Oliver Tickell in The Guardian, June 2004. See http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,7843,1244

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The Greens are also leading on City measures to address climate change.