GREEN party activists in York are still pushing for a “progressive alliance” in one of the city’s constituencies.

Yesterday their campaign was launched in Haxby, but the two candidates said there was still an appetite for a deal to be struck between them and other opposition parties.

Andy D’Agorne, their York Central candidate, said: “We very much support the concept of a progressive alliance, in terms of trying to get the two main opposition parties to see sense in terms of out-voting the Tories.

“The two main opposition parties together could get more votes in York Outer together than the Conservatives, and yet under the First Past the Post System there could still be a Conservative MP representing the area.”

Bethan Vincent, who is standing for the Greens in York Outer, said: “We have to gain something for it, we can’t just give it away because what does that say to our voters?

“Our voters want to vote for the Green party, and we need a damn good reason to say vote for Labour instead.

“It’s got to be reciprocated, but we want to negotiate. We were the first ones in York to come to the table about it.”

With exploratory drilling for shale gas - fracking - continuing in the next year, Bethan said the issue was likely to play large in the campaign.

She said: “I am quite involved in York as a community, and from talking to people I know fracking is a real issue here.

“There’s no real data on how it will affect them, but people know it will be bad.”

Beyond that, the party will be campaigning hard on things like social care, the NHS, congestion and the state of the outer ring road.

She added: “As someone who has to travel on the outer ring road every day, it’s not a sustainable solution.”

A new station for Haxby has been talked about for years, they added, but nothing has happened.