Tough decisions required after Climate Assembly findings, warns leading councillor
Councillors were urged to make difficult decisions when it comes to winning backing from their communities for new transport measures.
Green councillor Tom Druitt told colleagues, including his political rivals, to “not chicken out” during discussions about the Brighton and Hove Climate Assembly and Youth Climate Assembly’s recommendations.
They should, he said, be prepared to make some potentially unpopular decisions.
The Climate Assembly was made up of 50 residents who took part in five virtual meetings from September to December last year.
Its 10 recommendations to Brighton and Hove City Council for cutting transport-related carbon emissions were
- A car-free city centre
- Affordable and accessible public transport
- Healthier low-traffic and pedestrianised communities
- Active council consultation and engagement
- Mobility hubs with cycle hire in all areas
- Prioritise cyclists over cars with a dedicated cycle network
- Park and ride
- Make public transport better than driving
- Constructive messaging including about public health benefits and climate change
- Focus on incentives rather than sanctions
…
Councillor Druitt urged councillors to take the Climate Assembly’s findings back to their residents and said that councillors had to be honest with themselves and residents because the world could not get through the climate crisis without changes.
He said: “This does not mean we all have to go and live in caves. It does mean we are going to have to make some difficult decisions when it comes to implementing the recommendations.
“We have an opportunity to make things so much better. This is not about paying the price but about grasping the opportunity to make a fundamental change in the way we live our lives to benefit the climate and our own futures.
“This is our home we are talking about. It is not just a weird other concept but about looking after our home so we can carry on living here.”
Councillor Druitt said that councillors should not welcome the Climate Assembly’s report but then fail to make the necessary decisions in future to implement the recommendations.
The council’s Policy and Resources Committee agreed yesterday (Thursday 21 January) to ask officials to consider the assembly’s findings when developing the 2030 Carbon Neutral Plan.
Earlier in the week, Green and Labour members of the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee agreed to ask for more detailed plans for a car-free city centre.
At the same meeting on Tuesday (19 January), they also asked for further work on setting up an ultra-low emission zone.
The Conservatives abstained after raising concerns about the need for new infrastructure to bring about the change.
At the same meeting on Tuesday, Labour and Conservative councillors also criticised increases in parking charges while the Greens criticised them for failing to back the Climate Assembly’s recommendations.
The committee asked officials to consider the findings when drawing up the council’s next local transport plan and its local cycling and walking infrastructure plan.
Council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty said: “It is a really exciting piece of work. I love the fact there was a massive range of backgrounds and people from different communities, people I would never have encountered living in the city.
“They were really robust and frank about what they felt needed to happen and I respect that.”
Councillor Tom Druitt
The Green councillor said that the Climate Assembly was not the end of the conversation and added that he welcomed the thoughts and views of residents.
He said that the assembly had stayed focused on the challenges faced in trying to ensure Brighton and Hove became carbon-neutral by 2030.
Labour leader Nancy Platts said that she was proud of the Climate Assembly which was a manifesto pledge by her party at the last local elections.
Councillor Platts urged the council to share the findings as widely as possible, particularly with those who lacked access to the internet, by putting copies of the assembly’s report in public libraries.
She said: “I am really proud of what we’ve done. I think it is a genuinely cross-party effort. It is going to be a huge challenge to implement some of these changes. Everybody is going to have to do their bit.
“The next stage is going to be a bit more difficult as we persuade people that they may need to change the way they live and travel in order to meet those very challenging targets.”
Councillor Nancy Platts
Conservative leader Steve Bell endorsed the assembly and urged cross-party working.
Councillor Bell said: “People criticise, but we are the first government that has agreed to sign up to zero emissions by 2050. Obviously, we need it to be sooner than that. We are on the road of trying to ensure that we save our planet.”
Councillor Bell said that Britain was doing what it could to tackle climate change and, along with our European neighbours, to drive down carbon emissions.
But, he said, these goals were undermined by China and other nations pumping out more carbon than ever.
The Climate Assembly and Youth Climate Assembly reports are also due to go before a meeting of the full council next Thursday (28 January).
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This whole ‘climate assembly’ is utter tosh.
In true BHCC style NOTHING will be achieved other than absorbing…. *wasting* ….piles of tax payers money for zero positive outcome.
Led by Loons.
Which is hopefully how they sink when the town gets the chance to dispose of these blithering idiots we have been cursed with.
If they drive business and shoppers away it will make no difference.
They’ll go to other towns and the town will die.
And ccan you please stop referring to these idiots as ‘leading coucillors’.
They are Coucillors.
They may wish to believe they are ‘leading’ but they’re not. Especially this bunch of clowns.
There’s needs to be a ban on petrol and diesel fuelled vehicles especially SUVs now. Hove is a SUV hotspot with too many driving aimlessly around with no passengers. Average SUV CO₂ emissions are 132 grams per km.
The electric vehicle charging infrastructure needs to be developed. It is not acceptable for cables to be crossing over pavements from homes to vehicles in the road.
Parking charges needs to reflect the urgency of reducing CO₂ emissions. Higher charges for petrol and diesel cars, and parking prohibited if the vehicle’s carbon emissions per mile is not registered.
The under 25 to pay higher insurance for non work vehicles.
A tax increase on internal combustion engine vehicles.
Vehicles need to be smaller. More 2 seat vehicles.
Kathleen – if we ban all petrol and disel fueled vehicles NOW as you advocate – how will deliveries be made, people get to work etc?. According to your reckoning we would have no buses, taxis, ambulances, refuse/recycling collections or did you actually mean that you want all privatley owned vehicles banned without offering the owners an alternative mode of transport. Seems rather dicatorial to me – we need some sort of solution but your’s doesn’t seem to be it…
I think councilors need to understand first that the ‘climate assembly’ was not an elected body just ‘randomly’ selected individuals who by putting themselves forward for the assembly probably have set points of views. 50 people cannot be assumed to represent 250,000 Brightonians. Yes there are tough decisions and once again we see parties picking out what they want. The assembly called for a proper park and ride but this seems totally forgotten because the Greens are against it.