Q&A: Green Party co-leader on 'out of control private rental markets' ahead of local elections

• Watch Max Walsh's interview with Carla Denyer

The Green Party's co-leader Carla Denyer is calling for stricter policies to stop people in Bristol from being priced out of renting.

Later this week people across the South West will be heading to polling stations to vote in a series of local elections.

Read the full Q&A with our reporter Max Walsh.

Your party has made a lot of gains in the South West in recent years, do you think you've peaked?

"Not at all, we are certainly defending a lot of seats this year - more than ever before.

"That's because it was four years ago when these seats were last up for election that the Greens started making really serious gains.

"We're defending 280 odd seats across England and Wales but we're not just hoping to aim steady we're aiming to grow and get a hundred councillors, maybe more, elected nationally."

Are you targeting rural or urban areas?

"We're not only targeting one kind of council or one kind of demographic of voters.

"Over the last few local elections, the Greens have picked up votes in traditionally Labour and Conservative areas and we're expecting that to continue.

"People come to us from a range of political backgrounds because they like what they see from locally elected Greens already working in their area.

"They see that we've got distinctive policies that will tackle the cost of living crisis and the climate crisis."

What do you think are the Green Party policies that make people vote for you?

"Our position on housing has been something that people were excited about at our launch in Suffolk a few weeks ago when we launched our 'Right Home. Right Place. Right Time.' charter which recognises the multiple problems with housing in this country.

"In rural areas, there are often massive out-of-town green belt developments happening and voters are not against new homes being built. They recognise the population is growing and we need more homes.

"Building four or five bedroom houses with garages but yet no schools or doctors surgery with poor connections so that you're reliant on cars when people would rather walk, cycle or get public transport - that's not actually serving the needs of local people in the community.

"They can get priced out and they see these houses being built and they wonder who they're for.

"Meanwhile in cities like Bristol, we've got an out-of-control private rental market that means that people in my generation often have no prospect of getting on the housing ladder because rents are so completely unconnected to income.

"The Green Party is calling for stricter policies and bringing in measures as far as we could in local government.

"To change the rules so that renters are protected and that councils have the right to bring in rent control in heated markets and planning rules are tightened up so that developments are ones that people actually need."

Are you concerned by what's happened in recent years where other parties have adopted Green policies - do you think that weakens your selling point?

"It is positive that more people are taking the climate crisis more seriously but I'm afraid that so far we're not seeing that from other parties.

"There's a lot of talk about them being greener but when you actually look at the details of their policy they often don't go nearly far enough."

What would success in the elections look like for you in the South West?

"The South West has been quite a strong area for the Greens though some of the places with the largest concentration of Green councillors don't actually have elections this year - Bristol and Stroud for example.

"However there are lots of councils that already have one or two councillors where we're expecting to see gains - places like Tewksbury.

"And potentially breakthrough onto a number of new councils. From conversations we're having with voters on the doorstep, there is an appetite of people who recognise that we're offering a stronger opposition than the Labour Party.

"As well as people who have voted Conservative their whole life saying 'never again we need a fresh voice in local and national government.'"