Green Party mayoral candidate Geraldine Coggins has pledged to deliver a housing revolution and revive high streets if elected as Greater Manchester mayor, positioning herself as a pragmatic alternative to Labour and Reform UK.
From Voter to Candidate
Geraldine Coggins joined the Green Party in 2010, disillusioned with the three main parties and motivated by the climate crisis. She first stood as a candidate in the 2015 general election. “I just saw things that needed doing. I can see the state the world is in,” she said. Her background as an academic, lecturer, and author in philosophy has given her critical thinking skills that she argues make her an ideal candidate for mayor.
Housing Revolution and High Street Revival
Coggins has announced two key policies: building 10,000 new homes on brownfield land and retrofitting another 10,000 homes through a new body, Homes for Greater Manchester, which would rent them at local housing allowance rates. The scheme is estimated to require £4bn from central government grants and public lenders. She also plans to use Compulsory Purchase Orders to take over empty shops, creating an Empty Shops Team to revitalize high streets. “A third of the units in shops in Bolton were empty at the latest data,” she noted.
Criticism of Labour and Reform UK
Coggins criticized Labour for focusing investment on Manchester city centre while leaving boroughs like Bolton, Rochdale, and Oldham behind. She accused Labour of opening the door for Reform UK, saying, “The idea of a Reform mayor making decisions about our housing and transport... is horrifying.” She dismissed Reform candidate Sian Astley as inexperienced, stating, “This isn't an entry-level job.”
Electoral Prospects
A FocalData poll for Hope Not Hate showed the Greens on 12.5% of first preference support, behind Labour (33%) and Reform (30%). However, Coggins pointed to the Greens' victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election, where Hannah Spencer won with a large majority. “That started out with polling like this,” she said. She believes Labour voters will give their second preferences to the Greens, making a win possible.
Climate and Cost of Living
Coggins emphasized that solutions to the cost of living and climate crises are the same, prioritizing home insulation to reduce bills and emissions. She will launch her full manifesto on Thursday.
