31 May 2024

Louise Harris - our candidate for Bristol North East 

Cllr Louise Harris, is the parliamentary candidate for Bristol North East, the constituency where she grew up. She has decades of experience as a Green campaigner, and a record of action going back to her student days campaigning on acid rain in the 1980s. She is currently a South Gloucestershire councillor and is Cabinet member for the Climate and Natural Emergency. 

Louise was a founding member of the Green Liberal Democrats, having previously been a member of the Young Liberal Ecology Group. As Green Lib Dem Vice Chair Louise organised a series of highly successful conferences in the 1990s and was instrumental in ensuring that Green policies became embedded in Liberal Democrat manifestos.

In this campaign, her priorities are clear and they are fighting for social justice and environmental issues. 

Greening Greater London and Eastleigh!

Louise was a founder member of the Greater London Assembly in 2000. As Vice Chair of the Environment Scrutiny Committee she worked on the first ever London-wide waste strategy.

Later, as a Councillor in Eastleigh, Louise became Cabinet member for Environment and Sustainability at Eastleigh Borough Council in Hampshire between 2002 and 2015 and was a councillor there until 2017. Under her leadership, Eastleigh won many awards for it's work on Green issues including Beacon Council for Tackling Climate Change 2008-9, the equivalent of a Local Government Oscar, which Louise considers her greatest achievement in politics...so far.

LGA "Ambassador"

As part of her award for making Eastleigh a Beacon Council, Louise spent a year spreading best practice, talking to many other councils on behalf of the Local Government Association, with a focus on providing Leadership and Community Engagement. She firmly believes that that is the best way to win hearts and minds to tackle the climate emergency we face. Louise explored this theme in her chapter 'Community Policies for a Low Carbon Future' in 'The Green Book, New Directions for Liberals in Government' published in 2013.

Back to her roots!

Louise returned to her West Country roots in 2017, swapping the hectic South East for the more rural South Gloucestershire

and was elected to that authority in a 2018 by-election. She became Opposition Lead for Communities and Sustainability in 2019 and worked to get cross-party support to declare a Climate Emergency in South Gloucestershire and to make it carbon neutral by 2030. 

"Bollocks to Brexit"

A graduate of European Politics and Economics, Councillor Louise Harris is an ardent Remainer.

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"One of my key motivations for political activity with the Liberal Democrats is that the environment recognises
no borders or boundaries. The European Union has been a leading force in protecting the environment.
The climate emergency can only be tackled by nations working together."

As an MP, Louise would be dedicated to mending the broken relationship between the UK and the EU. 

Making Change Happen

Councillor Louise Harris is a key member of our Green Liberal Democrats team which can, together, make environmental change happen in Parliament, so we'll be doing all we can to help get her elected. Will you join us?

For more Green Heroes go to the Green heroes front page here >>> https://greenlibdems.org.uk/en/page/green-heroes