THE LEADER of the Green Party was at Oxford’s County Hall yesterday to launch the party’s county elections.

Natalie Bennett, whose party has 60 councillors standing across Oxfordshire on May 2, said: “Voters will be making important choices about the direction of local communities and entire counties in the next four years.”

She highlighted that councils need to be looking to build strong local economies.

She said: “Instead of protecting high streets with their small shops and businesses, far too many councils regard some new supermarkets or chains as a retail panacea, swallowing wholesale their job creation claims.

“This is without considering the really important figure – net jobs. How many jobs will be lost as well as gained?”

She added that seats on district and town councils are also up for election.

The party’s key campaign issues for 2013 include ‘no’ to welfare cuts, ‘yes’ to a living wage and ‘yes’ to saving Green Belt land.

Deputy leader Will Duckworth said: “We believe in true localism: local people working for local people and local businesses. People like you working for you.

“There is an alternative. We are it.”

The Mail’s election political party previews start on Tuesday.