| Cambridge City Council | |
|---|---|
| Polling date: | 2nd May 2019 |
| Ward: | Trumpington |
| Candidates (by surname): | Matt BIRD (Labour Party) Ceri GALLOWAY (Green Party) Peter LORD (Liberal Democrat) Shapoor MEFTAH (Conservative Party) Philip SALWAY (Conservative Party) May SHAFI (Labour Party) Daniel SUMMERBELL (Liberal Democrat) Sue WELLS (Green Party) |
Question 1
Do you agree that elected officials should now be responding to climate change as an emergency? Please answer yes or no. If ‘yes’, what do you mean by this? If ‘no’, why not?
Matt BIRD (Labour Party) Yes. The scientific case for the reality of human-driven climate change is irrefutable. We may very well be the last generation which can bring about a positive outcome, and it is therefore urgent that we act now. Tackling climate change cannot be a separate agenda item for the City Council— it must be considered alongside every decision.
Ceri GALLOWAY (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Peter LORD (Liberal Democrat) Yes, climate change is endangering the continued existence of many species on our planet and, if unchecked, will result in considerably-more expensive damage and disruption than the cost of stopping it now. According to the IPCC we only have 12 years to act to keep temperature rises within 1.5 degrees Celsius. This is an existential threat and we have finite time to act, no matter how difficult it will be to respond in time. We need to act now.
National governments are currently not acting urgently-enough, we have a duty to act now to preserve the planet for future generations.
Shapoor MEFTAH (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Philip SALWAY (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
May SHAFI (Labour Party) Yes. Elected Officials play a critical role in helping us to adapt to climate change. They play a key role in reducing carbon emissions and driving through policies that will help us transition to clean energy and change how we consume energy and care for our environment. Labour Council recently declared a Climate Emergency because we believe action is needed now to ensure the current crisis does not become a catastrophe.
Daniel SUMMERBELL (Liberal Democrat) It is an emergency, whether we like it or not, and we should be responding as such. The economic, human, environmental and biodiversity cost of climate change is already large, and growing each year. Every kg of carbon we can save today, by personal action, local and national policy, buys us time for the technological changes that are needed to transfer to a low carbon economy.
Sue WELLS (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Question 2
Do you support the setting of a net zero carbon target for the city of Cambridge? If ‘Yes’ when do you think we should be aiming for Cambridge to be net zero carbon? If ‘no’, why not?
Matt BIRD (Labour Party) Yes. The City Council’s current target for carbon neutrality is 2050, but I support Labour’s plan to establish a Climate Charter which outlines how Cambridge can become carbon neutral by 2030. We should be ambitious, but also realistic as to the impact that the City Council can have while working alone. To reach the more ambitious goal of 2030 we will need support at both a county and a national level, and Labour will continue to fight to ensure that this support is given.
Ceri GALLOWAY (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Peter LORD (Liberal Democrat) Yes, and because it’s an emergency we should aim for 2030 as a target, to force us to find solutions.
Our manifesto pledges to demand better and set this target to 2030 if we won control of the council. Other councils such as Stroud have already become Carbon neutral and ambitious targets aiming for 2030 have recently been adopted by the city councils of Bristol, Brighton and York amongst others We’ve made it one of our top three priorities aiming for a cleaner, greener, fairer Cambridge.
Shapoor MEFTAH (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Philip SALWAY (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
May SHAFI (Labour Party) Yes. The sooner the better, we can’t keep making this the next generations problem. The Labour City Council has committed to establishing a Cambridge Climate Charter, which will set out how Cambridge can become a carbon neutral city.
Daniel SUMMERBELL (Liberal Democrat) My research work (my day job!) finds ways that companies and organisations can reduce their carbon emissions and environmental footprint in a cost effective, low tech way. I have seen many times that companies who set ambitious climate goals achieve far more overall than companies who aren’t willing to try. Nobody thinks that zero carbon will be easy to achieve, but unless we recognise the urgency of the situation, the can will get kicked down the road. I was disappointed when the Labour council moved the target date for Carbon neutrality from 2030 to 2050. That’s a less ambitious target than many other councils around the country (for example, Stroud, York, Brighton and Bristol) – and it means that we will achieve less than those cities. Cambridge should be leading the way on climate, not lagging behind.
Sue WELLS (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Question 3
Cambridge City Council is a central organisation in Cambridge. What do you think its role is in local leadership in relation to climate action? What specific additional actions in relation to climate change do you support the City Council doing in the coming 12 months?
Matt BIRD (Labour Party) First, Cambridge City Council is a legal entity in its own right, with direct control of commercial facilities, sports facilities, and residences, all of which contribute to our city’s carbon footprint. Retrofitting existing buildings is much more costly than getting things right in the first place, so we need to especially look to upcoming developments under council control. We should develop energy-efficient buildings supported by large and biodiverse green-spaces, good access for cyclists and pedestrians, secure cycle-parking, and electric-vehicle charging points.
Secondly, we need to work with our residents to ensure that they’re informed, inspired, and equipped to do their bit by recycling and reducing consumption. One practical initiative here is the “skip day”: superficially a day where the council provide a large skip for locals to dispose of bulky items, this is also an opportunity for people to get better educated about recycling and to trade or have their old items repaired.
Thirdly, we need to work with the County Council and the GCP to provide better public transport so that people have a real alternative to cars. It is not sufficient to punish motorists with congestion charges and parking fees. We need cheap, reliable, and green (preferably electric) buses, and better infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians.
Fourthly, we must better integrate concern for the environment into the City Council’s decision-making processes. For example, currently every financial decision is rated “red”, “amber”, or “green” for its environmental impact. But as far as I can see there hasn’t been much discussion about what to do about these ratings. Surely, we must stop at least those projects which are rated “red”.
Ceri GALLOWAY (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Peter LORD (Liberal Democrat) The council should be leading the response to the climate emergency and getting everybody in this city to share ownership of it. The City Council has an important, influential role in Cambridge and it should be ambitious in order to inspire similar action from the universities, business and residents.
We should improve provision for charging zero-emission vehicles (electric/hydrogen) to reduce carbon footprint and air pollution and encourage their uptake.
We could also increase recycling to reduce consumption of natural resources by exploring the introduction of weekly food waste collection and renewing the focus on public education on the need for recycling.
Shapoor MEFTAH (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Philip SALWAY (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
May SHAFI (Labour Party) As a Councillor I would seek to look at how we work effectively across the City, County Council and key areas such as health, social care, and education to address how we deliver key services and reduce our carbon emissions. We need to recognise where there is scope to transform services, deliver improved outcomes for people, and combat climate change. For example, if we want to reduce the use of certain types of transport we need to think about what this means for how we deliver educational services, health services and social care and this requires close joint working rather than imposing targets on individual organisations and services.
In the next 12 months I would like to see:
The City Council carry out a series of energy audits and feasibility studies to identify ways and build the business case for the most suitable measures and options for reducing our emissions, with a view to achieving a carbon neutral future a.s.a.p
The City Council to convene a forum of relevant stakeholders, organisations and businesses in the City, including drawing on relevant expertise for people across the city to develop plans and explore options.
Implement measures to actively reduce emissions from the City Council operations.
Ensure that the Carbon Neutral plans inform all the Council’s activities so that when we are awarding contracts, changing services or considering planning applications we include this in our decision making processes.
Daniel SUMMERBELL (Liberal Democrat) Cambridge City Council is a central organisation in Cambridge. What do you think its role is in local leadership in relation to climate action? What specific additional actions in relation to climate change do you support the City Council doing in the coming 12 months?
Just as Cambridge should be leading the way in the country, the council should be leading the way in Cambridge. By example, through policy and incentive the council has a huge opportunity to lead the response on climate and make sure that everyone shares fairly in the costs and opportunities involved. Investing in energy saving measures across the council portfolio is one economically sensible measure that will also set an excellent example across the city.
The policy response can start at the local level: air pollution is also a big issue in Cambridge, and strategies to improve air quality almost always benefit the climate too. Reducing idling in the city, improving public transport and cycling provision, and increasing provision for electric vehicles are all good strategies.
A lot of public goodwill goes into recycling and waste collection, and the council have a responsibility to make sure that it runs smoothly for residents in return. I support a weekly food waste collection, as this lightens the burden on residents from storing food waste, as well as incentivising residents for making sure they keep food waste separate, minimising impact on recycling and decomposition of food to climate-damaging methane.
Sue WELLS (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Question 4
Green spaces and trees remove carbon dioxide and other pollutants from the atmosphere, provide shade, help reduce flooding and often contribute to a feeling of well being. Would you support a more ambitious tree planting programme in Cambridge city? Also, suggestions have been made recently to create new areas of woodland around Cambridge. Would you support ambitious tree planting programmes around Cambridge city?
Matt BIRD (Labour Party) Yes. In fact, such plans are already part of the 2019 Labour City Council manifesto. Labour is planting 1000s more trees and 13 wildflower gardens (with more planned). This is just the beginning; we need to be proactive about making more and better green spaces to combat climate change, reverse biodiversity loss, and to make our city a more pleasant place to live.
Ceri GALLOWAY (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Peter LORD (Liberal Democrat) Yes, we need trees to mitigate climate change, help cool the planet and increase bio-diversity. We support a net positive annual target for trees on council-managed land. We should embrace biodiversity net-gain in local planning policy and public scheme design and management and increase funding for bio-diversity in council-managed open spaces
We must not become complacent about using plants to remove greenhouse gases; it is not a long term solution in itself but will buy us some breathing-space. At the end of the plants’ lifecycle, much of the stored carbon will be released once more, by decay processes, in the form of CO2 and (the even-worse greenhouse gas) Methane. Using plants to store carbon indefinitely would require careful management and sequestration of the mature plant material.
Shapoor MEFTAH (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Philip SALWAY (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
May SHAFI (Labour Party) I do support the Labour groups ambitious tree planting scheme which is currently being worked on by the council and involves planting 7,000 new trees across Cambridge.
I would also support the planting of new areas of woodland.
Daniel SUMMERBELL (Liberal Democrat) Tree planting programmes are an excellent idea. Not only do they have a very positive impact on both the local and global environment, but they also make areas pleasant to live in, with associated health benefits! The council should aim to have a net-positive target for trees on its own land, as well as ensuring that new developments include plenty of trees in their plans. The Lib Dems have insisted on this in both Clay Farm and Trumpington Meadows, which is a great start, and I would wholeheartedly support them in this going forward.
Sue WELLS (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Question 5
Finally, do you know the size of your own Carbon Footprint? Can you identify one thing you’d like to change but haven’t yet managed to move your own carbon footprint towards zero carbon?
Matt BIRD (Labour Party) My carbon footprint is 9.1 tonnes CO2 per year according to footprint.wwf.org.uk, 8.91 tonnes CO2 per year according to carbonindependent.org, and 8.68 tonnes CO2e per year according to carbonfootprint.com. This is below the national average, but it could be better! I’m a vegetarian, I don’t own a car, and I live quite modestly. But the carbon calculators have flagged up some improvements I could make to my diet: to prioritise food that’s grown locally and cut down on the amount I eat out.
Ceri GALLOWAY (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Peter LORD (Liberal Democrat) I don’t know the size of my carbon footprint, but I do know that it is too large (just like everyone-else's). I'm planning to get rid of my “low emission” diesel car within the next few months and not replace it (I’ll cycle and use public transport instead).
Shapoor MEFTAH (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
Philip SALWAY (Conservative Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire
May SHAFI (Labour Party) I don’t know the size of my own Carbon Footprint. I take active measures in my life to lead a more sustainable life. I run a community wardrobe which provides second hand clothes and gives people the skills to repair and recycle clothing. I would love to see similar projects rolled out across the city and for us all to be able to walk, cycle or get to the community wardrobe via an sustainable mode of transport.
Daniel SUMMERBELL (Liberal Democrat) I spend a lot of time thinking about carbon impact through my work. I do most of the cooking/food shopping in our household, and in the past few years I’ve tried to move us towards eating less meat. We started out with one meat-free day a week, and have moved that up to two or three. I find that much more accessible than an all-or-nothing approach to meat eating!
Prompted by this question I recalculated my footprint. Eating less meat has helped, but the amount I have to travel for work has increased (I disagree with WWF that this should be assigned to my employer!). While I cycle around Cambridge, I drive to industrial plants I work at in the UK, and occasionally fly to sites in Europe. Because I work on reducing CO2, I hadn’t really given work travel much thought, but according to the calculator it’s 40% of my total carbon footprint! I can definitely do better – next month I will be trialling giving a presentation to a German cement plant remotely, saving me a flight, and hopefully helping them reduce their CO2 footprint to boot.
Sue WELLS (Green Party) This candidate did not respond to the questionnaire