Cllr Benali Hamdache rallying the troops at the Green party manifesto launch on Monday

THE Greens will make radical inclusion of residents in Town Hall decisions the cornerstone of their campaign in the run-up to the elections, as they claim the ruling Labour Party have shut out constituents.

Speaking to the Tribune before rallying the troops at the Green manifesto launch on Monday, Cllr Benali Hamdache said that it was “damning” that there had been “more council democracy under the Liberal Democrats”, and that the Greens would set up citizens’ assemblies and participatory budgeting – where residents directly decide how millions of pounds are spent – if handed the keys to the Town Hall.

“A lot of residents don’t know where decisions are made or how they’re made”, the Green leader told the Tribune. “We need to see more residents on committees, citizens’ assemblies, public forums, we should ask TRAs to decide themselves where repair budgets are spent”.

Cllr Hamdache added: “Back in the day, Richard Watts used to go out and do public questions. It’s been a long time since the council leader faced the public and was held accountable. We would do that work to make sure residents had the opportunity to feel heard, to know when they disagree with the council and when they agree.”

Indeed, the Green manifesto focuses much on how politics is done, rather than what policies would be implemented, and how.

Cllr Hamdache told the Tribune that his party would be in favour of an SUV tax – but this is not mentioned in the manifesto. Neither are the letters “LTN”, and critics may argue that the Greens are deliberately trying not to talk about policies they believe would be most divisive.

But ambitions among the Greens have grown, buoyed by successes in recent election battles, and Cllr Hamdache said in Islington the party was now “ready to replace Labour”.

The Tribune reported earlier this month how Labour campaigners were trying to distance themselves from an increasingly unpopular national government, and Islington South and Finsbury MP Dame Emily Thornberry stressed that the local party had always had a “distinctive character” and was free to disagree with Sir Keir Starmer’s policies.

But Cllr Hamdache hit out at Islington Labour for “trying to pretend they are a different party” and said they were just as accountable as their colleagues in government for unpopular decisions made at the top.

“The Labour Party is the Labour Party is the Labour Party,” Cllr Hamdache said. “Just like I’m the Green Party. I am part of the Green Party. If you are unhappy about something the Green Party has done, I am one of the local representatives. The Labour Party locally cannot shirk the responsibility. They are on the ballot with a big Labour rosette, Keir Starmer is their leader and they are just as responsible for the decisions made in government as anyone else in that party.”

Leaflets distributed claiming Labour complicity in the genocide in Gaza had caused uproar among local councillors who said it was an unfair characterisation.

Cllr Hamdache said: “I’m very sorry, but if you are uncomfortable with the Labour Party’s complicity through the decisions they have made in the Middle East, then leave the Labour Party.”

Meanwhile, the Greens in neighbouring boroughs have this week been facing their own scandals, after The Independent reported that several candidates have allegedly made anti-Semitic comments on social media.

Cllr Hamdache said in Islington they had “worked hard” to vet candidates and he was “very confident” there would be no controversies.

He added: “We are a growing party, and we are still working through those processes, and no party, the Labour Party, the Conservative Party have been devoid of sometimes accidentally selecting the wrong candidate.

“If a campaigner has crossed the line and crossed into anti-Semitic conspiracies, or Islamophobic or homophobic, I would always say that party processes need to kick in, and we need to make sure we are living up to what people expect when people are contesting the honour of public office.”