Category Archives: Politics

Transition New Mills Lobbies MP To Support A Safe Climate

22 Tuesday Dec 2015

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Three of us from Transition New Mills (Jane Ayres, Sue Cooper and Rick Seccombe) met with Andrew Bingham on 12th December 2015.

We handed him 38 letters, most of which had been signed by constituents during a street leafleting session in New Mills on 28th November.  Additional letters were sent by email.

We had a wide ranging discussion with him.  We urged him to use his influence to support the government in taking a lead in ensuring that UK greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to keep global temperature rise within 2 degrees.

We suggested that immediate strategies would include the expansion of renewable energy production and the reduction of energy consumption through a massive insulation programme and a tightening of environmental regulations on household appliances.

We said that the priority was to massively reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and that government was in a position to take a lead on this and that it was not enough just to educate people of the need to individually have a lower carbon footprint.  One example we gave was the need to make air travel a less attractive means of travel rather than more attractive through building more runways.

Andrew Bingham confirmed in a letter that he thought that climate change was one of the most serious threats that the country and the world faces and he believes that the UK is taking a leading role on the world stage in the fight against climate change.

Lobbying by members of Transition New Mills and Sustainable Hayfield seems to be encouraging an interest in green issues so we encourage further engagement and recommend booking a slot at his surgery.

His contact details and surgery sessions are on his website  http://www.andrewbingham.org.uk/

Let us know how you get on!

Lobby Our MP to Support a Safe Climate

25 Wednesday Nov 2015

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The governments of more than 190 nations gather in Paris in late November to discuss a global agreement on climate change.

Scientists have warned that unless greenhouse gas emissions start to fall, we will exceed a temperature rise of 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels. Above this rise, global warming will become catastrophic and irreversible.

However, the UK and other nations with the biggest greenhouse gas emissions are likely to make commitments in Paris that will not be enough to keep the temperature rise within 2 degrees.

We have joined with Sustainable Hayfield in sending letters to our MP, Andrew Bingham, asking him to use his influence in parliament to work towards implementing a greater reduction in CO2 emissions in the UK and a transition from fossil fuels to renewables

Please sign our letter and send or email it to him by 10th December 2015.

Climate Change Letter to Andrew Bingham

If you would like to sign an online petition on this issue you can do so here

We will be in New Mills town centre, on the Prom and in The Torrs Butterfly Café between 10:30 and 12:00 on Saturday 28th November, to ask people to contact Andrew Bingham. If you can help at all with handing out leaflets or staffing the stall, please let us know at transition.newmills@gmail.com

There will also be a party going to the Climate Summit event in Sheffield on Saturday afternoon – meet at New Mills Central Station for the 12:17 train.

The Parties Respond to Our Questions! Q7 – Rewilding

05 Tuesday May 2015

Posted by in Biodiversity, Politics, Rewilding

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Here’s the final blog in our series of candidate responses to our questions. Once again, we’d like to thank all the candidates who responded for their thoughtful and considered responses to our questions.

We hope you’ve found it enlightening.

The full, unedited responses for this question are available in this document Candidates Responses-Q7.

What is your view on rewilding (increasing the area of land left to nature and the reintroduction of lost species)?

Charlotte Farrell (Green)

Charlotte says that rewilding has to be done with a full understanding of the required ecological structure and on such a scale that the wild area is self-sustaining.  If it is done piecemeal there is a danger that one dominant species may lead to knock-on instabilities because species do not exist in isolation. Rewilding has a part to play in protecting and increasing biodiversity but at the same time we do live in a much smaller area than the US, where the reintroduction of wolves has had a very positive effect in some protected areas.

Greens oppose the current management system for the high peak peat uplands, which is done to favour grouse shooting, but at great ecological cost. Instead, Greens believe that this area should be left, driven grouse shooting banned and the flora allowed to grow undisturbed and birds of prey not killed by gamekeepers.

Caitlin Bisknell (Labour)

Caitlin says that we need a healthy, bio-diverse and resilient eco-system that benefits wildlife, farm animals, birds and tourism, as can be seen locally in the Moors for the Future Partnership which runs an EU-funded programme to restore wildlife habitats. Caitlin welcomes programmes such as these which are reintroducing Sphagnum to the peat bogs of the Peak District and the South Pennines, and bringing hen harriers back to the Peak District.

As Leader of High Peak Borough Council, Caitlin actively supported and encouraged Transition Buxton to reclaim the Council-owned Serpentine Nursery (now renamed Serpentine Farm) in Buxton and delivered new allotments in Glossopdale.

She also points out that a Labour government would put in place a 25-year plan for the recovery of nature.

Stephen Worrall (Liberal Democrats)

Stephen is very much in favour of rewilding and reintroducing lost species. Liberal Democrats in government would pass a Nature Bill and so set natural capital, biodiversity, and clean air and water targets, and empower the Natural Capital Committee to set actions to meet these targets. Liberal Democrats would also massively increase the amount of green space for people to enjoy by introducing a fuller “Right to Roam”, such as in Scotland.

UKIP

UKIP makes no mention of any policies on nature or wildlife in its policy document.

Andrew Bingham (Conservative)

Andrew would like to see indigenous wildlife thrive and he has no objection to the reintroduced of certain species without disrupting the status quo in a detrimental way.

Sheep farmers, whilst they have been in place for hundreds of years before commercial agriculture, have been under attack by re-wilders as unproductive agriculture, with farm subsidies being seen as delivering ecological destruction. Andrew does not agree with this view of the status quo. Instead, he contends that the direction of travel of agricultural policy is towards developing and enhancing the environment.

He goes on to say that we have tremendous natural resources in the UK, and that’s not only our arable lands where we have one of the highest yields per hectare of anywhere on the planet.  Our hills and grasslands are also a part of that. Without our uplands, we wouldn’t have a UK sheep industry.  Most people realise, accept and value the fact that farmers have helped to produce the patchwork landscape we have today. It’s a landscape that not only produces our food, but also supports a diverse environment, supports jobs, underpins tourism and contributes greatly to the economy.

Whether it is sheep, cereals, or cider apples, the reality is that when UK farmers produce more, it’s also good news for the UK economy. The raw materials that leave the farm gate are the source material for the largest manufacturing sector in the UK – our food processors – and that equates to jobs and economic growth.

The Parties Respond to Our Questions! Q6 – Sustainable Lifestyles

04 Monday May 2015

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The full, unedited responses for this question are available in this document: Candidates Responses-Q6.

What help should government offer to help people lead more sustainable lifestyles?

Andrew Bingham (Conservative)

Andrew says that the availability of renewable energy and recycling facilities and initiatives, together with corporate attempts to reduce carbon footprints and waste, make it easier in some ways for an individual to reduce their environmental impact.  Research and technological advances, together with data gathering on impacts of lifestyle choices, again assist individuals in being able to make informed choices.

The Government funded the Sustainable Lifestyles Research Group which was charged to develop new and relevant understandings of the processes which lead to changes in people’s lifestyles, behaviours and practices; and to offer evidence-based advice to policy-makers about realistic strategies to encourage more sustainable lifestyles.

Charlotte Farrell (Green)

Charlotte says that Green policies will result in a shift towards sustainable living and away from consumption-led growth. However, it will not be easy dealing with the change needed to bring this about. Greens therefore believe that education at all levels of society is needed to reflect the kinds of knowledge, skills and vision that are needed. All levels of government also have to play a part in enabling this transition. All Green policies are aimed at helping to bring about this transition to more sustainable lifestyles.

Caitlin Bisknell (Labour)

Caitlin says that the way to enable sustainable lifestyles is through strengthening the Green Investment Bank with borrowing powers so that it is well placed to support investment in small and medium sized green businesses and to enable individuals and communities to invest in clean energy. Also more promotion of better insulation of homes and buildings with a target of making five million homes energy efficient within 10 years. The last Labour government introduced energy efficiency grants for households and an incoming Labour government will provide one million interest-free loans to cover the costs of energy efficiency.

Stephen Worrall (Liberal Democrats)

Stephen says that the government should do the following to promote sustainable lifestyles: implement the “Get Britain Cycling” report recommendations; support ambitious EU vehicle emission reduction targets and encourage the electric vehicle market; establish a scheme to raise household energy efficiency standards and cut fuel bills, with a cut in council tax for taking part; initiate a national roll out of smart energy meters.

UKIP

There is no mention of relevant policies about sustainability in UKIP’s policy document, except that “UKIP will repeal the Climate Change Act 2008 which costs the economy £18bn a year” and the proposed abolition of the Dept for Energy and Climate Change.

The Parties Respond to Our Questions! Q5 – Roads vs Buses

02 Saturday May 2015

Posted by in Politics, Transport

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The full, unedited responses for this question are available in this document Candidates Responses-Q5.

Do you support the recent announcement of £15bn investment in road projects? If so, is this the best use for this money at a time when reductions in funding for local bus services are putting services at risk and there are legally binding carbon emission targets to meet?

UKIP

UKIP’s transport policies include scrapping HS2; opposing tolls on public roads and letting existing contracts for running toll roads expire; maintaining pensioner bus passes; requiring foreign vehicles to purchase a Britdisc before entry to the UK, in order to contribute to the upkeep of UK roads and any lost fuel duty; and ensuring that speed cameras are used as a deterrent and not as a revenue raiser for local authorities.

Andrew Bingham (Conservative)

Andrew welcomes the plans to build over 1,300 new lane miles on motorways and trunk roads to tackle congestion and fix some of the longstanding problems on our road network. When 90 per cent of journeys take place on our roads this work is vital to help people get on and get around. This £15 billion investment will dramatically improve our road network and unlock Britain’s economic potential.

Andrew has long campaigned for a road solution in Glossop and is pleased that a start on that is included as part of this announcement. He understands people’s concerns about traffic; however the congestion in Glossop is constraining the local economy and is vital to help it and people prosper.

Andrew also recognises the importance of other forms of transport. Government spending on cycling since 2010 has more than doubled compared to the previous four years including local investment: £374 million has been committed between 2011 and 2015. Ministers have also added an amendment to the Infrastructure Act which is designed to create a “cycling and walking investment strategy” with dedicated funding.

More widely, the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) has provided £600 million of funding to help local transport authorities to find solutions to meet the economic and environmental challenges faced in their areas. These include a variety of sustainable transport measures: 94 out of the 96 projects contain a cycling element; just under 50 per cent feature car sharing and car club schemes.

In rural areas, the Government recognises the importance of buses but the old model of services is changing, and we need to ensure that as it changes people retain access to good transport.

This Government has allocated £20 million in the past two years to 76 local authorities to support community transport solutions. The Transport Secretary has also recently said that he wants to do more to help community transport operators, and it is expected that he will say more on this very soon. Only in the last week the Government have given a grant to the Voluntary and Community Services Peaks and Dales in Buxton to buy a new minibus.

Charlotte Farrell (Green)

Charlotte says that the Green Party opposes the new road building programme as it will do very little to provide a long term sustainable and affordable transport system for most people. The Greens recognise that the road network remains a vital part of our infrastructure and therefore needs to be maintained but that it does not need to grow. Instead, she wants to see the government put money into public transport, safe cycle routes and footpaths which will help reduce carbon emissions and support a more healthy society.

Caitlin Bisknell (Labour)

Caitlin thinks there is a need for some new road schemes, but there needs to be a balance and better public transport must be part of that mix. That is why Labour would create a national infrastructure plan to integrate all large scale transport developments together.

Labour would devolve regional transport decision-making, so that areas can bring together trains, buses, ferries and trams into a single network with smart-ticketing – promoting increased use of public transport and give councils power to re-regulate bus services, enabling them to safeguard routes that are an important lifeline to many communities in High Peak.

In addition Labour would work with local authorities to take urgent steps to reduce the air pollution caused by road traffic, and in particular by diesel engines. Personally I would like to see a Labour government commit to continue to support the national and local air quality monitoring network and to meet the legal obligation to issue smog warnings so that vulnerable people can act to protect themselves.

Stephen Worrall (Liberal Democrats)

Stephen (who by the way uses buses every day) is “torn on the issue of the increased funding for road projects”. Reduction in congestion benefits not only the motorist but also bus users and the environment (cars use a lot less fuel when not stuck in a jam). However, this is juxtaposed against reductions in funding for buses and when considering carbon reduction targets it doesn’t stack up. A potential solution could be splitting the road project money between road projects that would do the most to reduce congestion and funding for buses.