Responses to
Questionnaire for
Local Election Candidates, May 2007
Sue Bradley, Green Party candidate for
Widcombe, provided the following
response to the questionnaire on behalf of all Green Party Candidates.
Q1 The Council is currently
committed, through its signing of the
Nottingham Declaration, to 60% cuts in carbon emissions by 2050. Greens
will rigorously push this forward and review it as new knowledge comes
to light of the necessity for even more urgent action.
In particular, Green policies on localising services, energy and
transport will need to be taken forward as quickly as possible.
Q2 Bath and North East
Somerset has adopted a zero waste
strategy, but apart from exultations and publicity it has moved very
little towards this. We would implement this by 2015. B&NES
still recycles only 37% of waste, well below the European average, and
having become a beacon council it appears to have rested on its
laurels. We would aim for a recycling rate of 75-80% within five
years. To this end we would:
Ensure
council offices reduce waste by 50% in two
years, with a 75% recycling rate for the council
Increase
commercial charges so they have a
punitive effect to reduce waste
Set
up local re-use centres, to encourage
bartering and scavenging of waste products for reuse
Include
food waste in collections and extend
recycling of household waste items such as tetrapak
Reduce
the rubbish collection to a fortnightly
service to encourage greater take-up of recycling
Set
up a proper system for collecting from all
commercial premises at a suitable rate. At present this is not done by
the council because it is not required to
Introduce
a local tax on retailers that continue
to offer plastic bags for free
Support
the use of British-based waste processing
facilities to prevent waste being transported around the world
Strengthen
anti-litter policies in the city centre
and ensure that parks and streets are cleaned regularly
Install
recycling points at regular intervals
within Bath city centre and other shopping areas, with separate bins
for paper, glass and plastic, to encourage both visitors and local
shoppers to recycle their waste
Oppose
the removal of the recycling centre in
central Bath due to the Western Riverside development. It is essential
that this is located in a convenient central location in the city.
Oppose
any proposals to include incineration to
deal with waste.
Q3 Greens would promote carbon
neutral development through the planning
system and encourage the participation of commercial interests and
residents in doing likewise with existing property.
Q4 We will give priority
to developing safe routes to every
school so that children can be encouraged to walk and cycle to them. As
many secondary schools are located in outer and more difficult to
access areas than primary schools, we would aim to provide free bus
travel to all these.
Q5 As the greatest increasing
source of greenhouse gases, we oppose any
increased provision for aviation. To this end we are opposed to the
proposed expansion of Bristol International Airport.
Q6 We recognise the particular
importance of Bath’s green spaces for
its residents and as part of its heritage, and aim to preserve and
enhance them as much as possible. To this end we will:
Oppose
any attempts to build on Green Belt land
Oppose
any attempts to develop any land within the
city that has been used as open space previously
Identify,
protect and improve all wildlife
corridors within the city
Create
greenway routes for pedestrians and
cyclists within open spaces and corridors wherever feasible
Seek
to improve open space provision, both natural
and formal, including allotments and children’s play space, in areas
that have few of these at present, so that all residents can enjoy open
space close to their homes
Aim
to bring management of open spaces as close to
the community that they serve as possible, including the provision of
park keepers where appropriate
Promote
allotment provision as widely as possible,
including protection of old allotment land for future allotment or
horticultural use.
