The need for a Citizens’ Assembly in Wokingham Borough

Labour’s Green Vision for Wokingham Borough

Labour’s Green New Deal

Labour’s Green Vision for Wokingham Borough

Along with other local councils, Wokingham Borough Council’s (WBC) declaration last year of a climate emergency is to be welcomed and was supported by Labour Councillors. But declaring a climate emergency is not enough on its own. Without radical, effactive and urgent action, the climate crisis will only get worse. We need to change the way our economy and society operates; carrying on with the same old practices that have contributed to the crisis will not tackle climate change.

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals were agreed by all governments, including the UK, in 2015 and set a range of ambitious targets to be achieved by 2030. As a globally recognised framework for the achievement of sustainability and tackling climate change, the 17 SDGs bring together environmental concerns with those of social and economic inequality. They can therefore help us to identify the fairest ways of achieving our climate targets.

It was a Labour government that commissioned the Stern Report in 2006 that set out the pathway to a low carbon economy; that Labour government was also responsible for introducing the Climate Change Act in 2008 that committed the UK to reducing its carbon emissions and led the way to a more sustainable future. Since 2010, Conservative and Coalition governments have backtracked on many of the initiatives introduced by

Labour, such the abolition of the Code for Sustainable Homes and its associated target of having all new homes built to a zero carbon level by 2016. The government’s latest initiatives on housing still would not achieve that target. The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals were agreed by all governments, including the UK, in 2015 and set a range of ambitious targets to be achieved by 2030. As a globally recognised framework for the achievement of sustainability and tackling climate change, the 17 SDGs bring together environmental concerns with those of social and economic inequality. They can therefore help us to identify the fairest ways of achieving our climate targets.

It was a Labour government that commissioned the Stern Report in 2006 that set out the pathway to a low carbon economy; that Labour government was also responsible for introducing the Climate Change Act in 2008 that committed the UK to reducing its carbon emissions and led the way to a more sustainable future. Since 2010, Conservative and Coalition governments have backtracked on many of the initiatives introduced by Labour, such the abolition of the Code for Sustainable Homes and its associated target of having all new homes built to a zero carbon level by 2016. The government’s latest initiatives on housing still would not achieve that target.

Many people have welcomed fewer cars on the roads, more cycling and walking, and have developed a greater awareness of where our food comes from, of the benefits of consuming less, recycling and avoiding waste. There are still too many families for whom feeding themselves and their children is a constant struggle but the pandemic lockdown has fostered a neighbourliness that was often thought to have been a thing of the past. The response of our communities, through food banks, schemes such as the Woodley Lunch Bunch to help provide lunches during the school holidays and looking after elderly or vulnerable neighbours has shown that we have not lost the ability to act communally in everyone’s best interests. The Sustainable Development Goals are as much about this kind of community sustainability as about climate change and those targets emphasise the interconnectedness of these issues. The aims of eradicating poverty and hunger and providing good health, well-being and education are key issues for Wokingham too. We must use the experience of the pandemic to begin to build a better Wokingham and wider world and not simply return to business as usual. Tackling climate change must include social justice for all.

For climate change, an important first step would be to oppose the expansion of Heathrow airport, which the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have supported. Serious steps must be taken to both help combat climate change and to adapt our borough to cope with the impacts of climate change. Labour’s Green Vision for Wokingham sets out the principles of that action and will seek to build a broad consensus around sustainability and climate action. Labour’s Green New Deal plans offer a different future and seek to achieve a low-carbon society through reshaping society and the economy on principles of social justice. That means creating good green jobs across the country, transforming our energy systems from polluting fossil fuels to clean renewables and taking back control of the public transport infrastructure.

Labour councillors are committed to a better, sustainable future for Wokingham Borough.

The Council must develop partnerships for change, working with communities, businesses and individuals to build a radical consensus for tackling the climate emergency. Labour believes that WBC must show real leadership rather than pursue tokenistic measures for the sake of PR. The Council should be setting an example in its own behaviour and policies. Labour will push for the Council to take responsible steps to divest from all fossil fuel investment, to oppose the expansion of Heathrow airport, and to engage locally to help everyone respond positively to the climate challenges facing us all. Labour believes everyone should have a real say in how Wokingham Borough works to become a better and more sustainable place to live. Labour councillors want to see this happen through the establishment of independent community forums that will involve all sections of our communities.

The WBC Climate Action Plan, as introduced by the Conservatives in January 2020, is a flawed plan and, as a response to the climate emergency, it simply isn’t enough. Many of the items are simply pre-existing projects which have been moved into the Plan; the ideas and projects within the plan are simply are not sufficient to ensure the Borough is carbon neutral by 2030. Labour Councillors have argued that the Plan must be ambitious enough in scale and scope to allow the Borough to reach carbon neutrality by 2030 and not merely pay lip service to this idea. There needs to be a review of all WBC policies for their climate impact; the implications of climate change must become an integral factor in all Council decisions. Labour wish to see a dedicated specialised policy team based in the Council that will push through these policies and actions.

Much of the plan consists of the rebranding of existing schemes rather than heralding a new approach. The Council has claimed it will spend £50m over the next three years on the climate action plan but has budgeted for nearly four times that figure for spending on roads and transport. Labour would rather spend that money on providing a better and more reliable public transport service and infrastructure Current initiatives to encourage walking and cycling are inadequate. Labour will prioritise active travel to make cycling and walking safer, easier and more convenient. Residents must have viable alternatives to car journeys.

The Conservatives’ latest proposals for relaxing the Planning regulations are likely to lead to more inappropriate housing development, with less affordable housing.  Labour wants a review of all new developments to reduce the need for car use as well as lower speed limits. Higher standards are needed for new homes in the borough; Labour councillors will push for the zero carbon Passivhaus standard to be adopted in all new housing.  Existing local plans will be reviewed to ensure existing communities become as sustainable as possible and a Labour council will work with parish and town Councils to help them revise and adopt plans with sustainability at their heart.

A Labour council will ensure that the Local Plan and the Borough Design Guide are overhauled to ensure that all future development is, as a minimum, carbon neutral and genuinely supports a sustainable economy.  All new properties and developments must have sustainability designed in to them from the outset. Existing local plans will be reviewed to ensure existing communities become as sustainable as possible and a Labour council will work with parish and town Councils to help them revise and adopt plans with sustainability at their heart.

The Council must have a plan to reduce and or mitigate for the impact of non-Carbon emissions, such as methane, nitrous oxide and sulphur dioxide, as these account for approximately 20% of greenhouse gas emissions.