In seats where the Green Party stood in the recent West Sussex County Council elections, it increased its share of the vote by a whopping seven per cent, taking votes from all three main parties.

This shows a real concern for green issues that only the Green Party is substantially addressing.

This augurs well for the Green Party in future local elections, where it will exponentially improve upon this percentage as support for the Green Party grows and we can field more candidates.

Standing as a prospective West Sussex County Councillor for the Green Party for the first time in the Hassocks and Victoria Division was a humbling experience. Those voters who supported both myself and Green Party policies give me hope this will have been a stepping stone towards a more certain future for generations to come.

We must not forget that the South-East will take the brunt of the greenhouse effect. Torrential winter rainfall but less precipitation overall are likely to lead to severe water shortages and, as the ice caps go into rapid meltdown, sea levels will rise, swamping much of the local area we cherish so much.

-David Hammond, Hassocks