Ahead of local elections on May 5th, and our Vote Jesmond 2016 elections hustings event on May 3rd, JesmondLocal is profiling each of the 10 candidates for councillor in North and South Jesmond. Starting our five days of profiles, the Green Party.

Born and raised in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, Shehla Naqvi attended Leeds University attaining two degrees in English Literature and Psychotherapy. After university she moved to Newcastle, where she became involved in numerous social projects, including ones focused on tackling racial inequality, helping disadvantaged women, and treating and supporting mental health. Shehla now runs an eye clinic organisation, providing care and support to those who are most disadvantaged: sex workers, homeless people and mental health sufferers. Her organisation works with other charitable groups such as the Salvation Army.

Why the Green party?

As a student I was never highly politicised but the Greens are the only party that would ever have received my vote. The Greens afford me the opportunity to campaign and work on issues that I think will really make an impact on society. This realisation was born from discussions with respected colleagues.

What’s the biggest issue facing North Jesmond?

The need for broader social engagement. Many public consultations over the years have been monopolised by the same general group of people: this silences and dissuades younger people and other community members. Streets for People, by engaging with a very broad range of people, have done very well in this.

How would you get more people in Jesmond active?

Jesmond has a very engaged community, something that is lacking in many other areas of the city.  But the basic principles of community engagement remain the same. Lets Talk Newcastle opening up a discourse between residents themselves and the council is vital.

How would you support local independent businesses?

We need stronger inter-business interaction. More communication and interaction between the supermarkets and the local cafés and restaurants is vital. Pedestrianising certain areas could really help a community and business hub develop.  Current support is pretty strong and Jesmond is really hot on the case of maintaining the balance.

How do you maintain a purpose in the community in light of council cuts?

The council must reach out and work with the local co-operatives and community groups in Jesmond. The community must not be isolated from the authorities. The council needs to maintain its community initiative schemes and engagement all the time other than just around elections. The council also needs to be much more proactive on social media.

How important are students to the local community, and how do you engage them with other residents?

There is a huge need for more co-operation between both universities and community groups and students themselves. The tensions and the problems between the two groups are never broached; this needs to happen. Yet Jesmond is generally a very welcoming community. Students aren’t just a short term addition, we should want them to stay.

How can we make Jesmond a more environmentally friendly place to live?

Over 16,000 cars drive through Osborne Road each day. This has a huge impact on air quality. Some areas of Jesmond should be pedestrianised, such Acorn Road. A brilliant model is  Kirklees, with a Green-style ward , creating its own energy, building passive housing and turning land over for food production.

How would you improve transport in Jesmond?

The car is too dominant in Jesmond. More streets should be pedestrianised and along with this there should be a more proactive effort to get people walking and cycling. The divide between the pro and anti-cyclists needs to be bridged. I also support free Metro links to the city centre from both the Jesmond stations.

What other plans do you have for Jesmond?

My vision for Jesmond is one of sustainability: we create our own energy, have more green spaces and less pollution. This could be achieved by fostering a network of local business to create a thriving localised economy. To go with this young people need better quality affordable accommodation to strengthen the community.

(introduction and interview by Sam Doyle)

19-year-old Matt Busby is a student at Newcastle University studying politics and economics. “Politics doesn’t run in the family,” he tells JesmondLocal, but has been an interest for four or five years. Originally from Durham, Busby used to regularly visit Newcastle with family before moving here for university. Busby is keen to get into the charity sector after university, looking at international development for bodies such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch. “I want to feel like I’m doing something useful and good,” he explains.

Why the Green party?

Honestly, it’s party policy. The policies of the party are most linked to my views; it’s a party I feel I can trust. I get asked why Greens, not Labour, a lot, but with the Green party you’re getting a politically progressive left party, whereas with Labour now you’re fragmented.

What’s the biggest issue facing South Jesmond?

I do think integrating students into the community is one of the most essential things. There’s a lot that goes on, and there can be tensions between permanent residents and students. Getting students more involved in the community, and pushing for more community-based work with students, will help. Local people need to see that students do care about the area. It’s important to show that the student population are engaged, that they believe there are things that matter. Students aren’t going to just up sticks and leave.

How important are students to the local community, and how do you engage them with other residents?

Though students often move out after two or three years, that’s still a long time in a community. People forget students do a lot – there are a lot of environmental campaigns students are involved in. Students do local litter picks. It’s about more activism and more involvement. If students feel like they’re involved in the community, they’ll look after it in a different way.

How would you get more people in Jesmond active?

People are active in different ways. It’s about advertising. People don’t realise what there is to do in the community, and how to help. Showing people how things affect them, and what they can do to change it, is key. A lot of stuff I found out about recently I didn’t know about at all. If people don’t hear about it, they’re not going to get involved.

How would you support local independent businesses?

It’s important to ensure all the shops don’t get turned into chains. The new Sainsbury’s is great, but it’s another massive chain. For everyone, it’s convenient to use chains but people walk past the independent businesses and forget they exist. We need to incentivise it so that areas that come up for development aren’t only given over to chains.

How do you maintain a purpose in the community in light of council cuts?

It comes back to getting more people involved in the community works. The way the government is expecting communities to look after parks is terrible, but it’s the only thing you can do in the face of council cuts. All that you can do is help to establish community-based groups that will do the work the council once did.

How can we make Jesmond a more environmentally friendly place to live?

The green space in Newcastle is amazing and needs to be protected. Pushing people to use the green space is also vital. Public transport and walking is vital. I walk everywhere. Encouraging that – pushing people to cycle, walk or get the Metro instead of driving – is ideal. And recycling is huge: some students tell me they don’t have a recycling bin. Who doesn’t have a recycling bin in 2016?

How would you improve transport in Jesmond?

I think public transport around Newcastle is very good: I find the Metro really useful. I don’t use it that regularly, but when I do it’s good most of the time. Encouraging people to use public transport, and building connections between those who run it and use it, will make it better.

What other plans do you have for Jesmond?

We’re starting campaigns on student housing. We can’t find any evidence of any sort of surveys about student housing and what problems people have. I know from personal experience that pretty much everyone has a problem with student housing. That’s a big thing I’d like to tackle. Starting from the bottom up, rather than the top down, is an important way to see what problems people have, and how we can start tackling them. Public safety is a big issue, and issues like homelessness. The difference in the amount of homelessness in the past three or four years is shocking. Tackling issues like that is really important.

(introduction and interview by Ritwik Sarkar)