THE Green Party has underlined its priorities ahead of May’s local elections in its manifesto with the shortage of housing and dealing with litter among key issues.

The manifesto states: “Our priority is to deliver a waste and recycling service that works.

“We will reduce waste, encourage re-use ahead of recycling and promote projects that use food waste to generate renewable energy and care for the streets and seafront through a more effective street cleaning system.”

In an effort to combat homelessness the Greens plan to develop partnerships with community homelessness and church projects; replace privately run temporary and emergency accommodation with council-owned provision and deliver a programme of quick-build non-traditional and modular homes.

The party also says it will protect funding for youth services and support provision of a new Brighton Youth Centre and more playgrounds.

It also underlined its commitment to a publicly owned and publicly run National Health Service that is free and includes social care and wide-reaching public health programmes.

The Greens also say they will protect, welcome and celebrate Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (Bame), LGBT and international residents.

Between 2011 and 2015 the Green council says it adapted 3,580 homes to meet the needs of disabled council and private tenants, was named the country’s leading council for LGBT education and won awards for its work on trans equality.

The party is also committed to addressing climate change.

However, it admits it is a huge challenge.

It wants to work with businesses to identify ways of making the city carbon neutral by 2030.

The Greens say if they win power they will support the local economy by changing the way the council outsources its services to help small local suppliers win council contracts or by bringing services in-house.

It will also prioritise education and work with schools to help them manage the funding crisis. It will campaign for better school funding.

It will continue its opposition to the introduction of academies and will work with the city’s universities to invest in lifelong learning, to promote Brighton and Hove as a centre of innovation and educational excellence, to enhance the city’s skills base in key sectors and to encourage greater partnership between the universities and local communities.