Rosie Pearson

Rosie has lived in Asthall for 23 years and brought up two daughters in the Windrush Valley. She was a journalist for the Economist and the Independent, taught drama and English in Jamaica (and briefly at Burford School) and now runs events at Asthall Manor, including the much-loved on form sculpture exhibition and a community-supported food project in the walled garden. She sees a direct connection between soil, nature and climate, and has dedicated the land she cares for to helping all three to recover. Rosie has volunteered with Assisted Reading for Children in Oxfordshire, and spent many years on the editorial team of the Asthall chronicle. Rosie has been a member of the Green Party for 17 years, and has long been inspired by the idea that a greener world would also be fairer and less stressful. If elected, Rosie will work to: * Challenge over-development: protect our countryside and the individual character of our villages. * Reduce bills, improve homes: provide support and more local jobs and training to insulate houses and flats – reducing energy bills and making homes cosier. * Stop sewage pollution: hold Thames Water to account – demand real-time information on water quality for residents, prosecute illegal spills and halt new housing approvals in the District until Thames Water has delivered its promised extra sewerage capacity. * End A40 traffic mayhem: ensure a dedicated bus lane all the way from Carterton and Witney to Oxford and secure a rail or trackless tram link along the A40. Work with bus companies, community transport and car-sharing schemes to give real choices to people in villages. * Support local farmers and growers: protect allotments and farmland from development, work with food producers to help them to sell affordable food directly to local families and businesses. * Prevent flooding, restore nature: use natural flood solutions to soak up, slow down, and retain more water upstream - reducing the risk of flash flooding and drains being overwhelmed.