Political Manifestos and The

General Election 2010:

Summary of the party manifestos

The attached paper provides extracts from the manifestos (kept in the parties own words), brought together by the Campaign for National Parks (CNP) and the BMC. A summary of the key issues for sport and recreation is provided along with issues affecting the National Parks and areas of interest such as transport and energy. The manifestos of Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Green Party and UKIP have all been analysed.

The Labour Party - A Future Fair for All http://www2.labour.org.uk/uploads/TheLabourPartyManifesto-2010.pdf

Sport

Olympic Games - A golden decade of sport with the 2012 Olympics as a great national and world-wide celebration.

Our aim is to achieve outstanding medal success at the Olympics and Paralympics, with a talent development system striving for excellence, and successful British athletes spanning all disciplines and events.

The Games will deliver a golden legacy for future generations, ushering in a new era of sporting excellence. The Olympics are already inspiring a new generation of British volunteers: over a quarter of a million young people have signed up to help run the Games.

We will ensure that the Olympics are delivered on time and on budget, to the highest standards. Britain will be the first Olympic hosts to create a world-class sports system, from elite level to the grass roots. The impact of the Olympics will be felt throughout the country, helping to boost the UK tourist industry.

Sport for All - Taking part in sport uncovers talent, improves physical fitness, and encourages important social skills. We are providing more resources to give every child the opportunity to do at least five hours’ sport per week. This will be provided through extended schools, community sports clubs and 3,000 new Olympic-inspired sports clubs. We will invest in a new national network of school sports coaches to increase the quality and quantity of coaching in some of the most deprived areas

Every pupil should have access to regular competitive sport along with coaching, a choice of different sports, and pathways to elite and development. We will continue our investment in free swimming for children and the over-60s.

We will work with governing authorities to ensure that professional clubs are accountable to their stakeholders, and run transparently on sound financial principles, with greater involvement of local communities and supporter representation. Sports governing bodies will be empowered to scrutinise takeovers of clubs, ensuring they are in the long-term interests of the club and the sport. We will develop proposals to enable registered Supporters Trusts to buy stakes in their club.

We will host the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and the 2015 Rugby Union World Cup. We aim to bring more major international sporting

1 competitions to Britain, beginning with our current partnership with the English FA to bring the 2018 World Cup to England.

Transport

At the heart of our growth plan is the commitment to a new high-speed rail line, linking North and South. Built in stages, the initial line will link London to Birmingham, Manchester, the East Midlands, Sheffield and Leeds, and then to the North and Scotland. We will consult fully on legislation to take forward our high-speed rail plans within the next Parliament.

We rule out the introduction of national road pricing in the next Parliament.

We support a third runway at Heathrow, subject to strict conditions on environmental impact and flight numbers, but we will not allow additional runways to proceed at any other airport in the next Parliament.

Green Economy

We have established low-carbon policy as one of the principal engines of our economic recovery and future growth. Our aim is to create 400,000 new green jobs by 2015.

Energy

We are planning for around 40 per cent of our electricity to come from low-carbon sources by 2020 – renewables, nuclear and clean fossil fuels.

We are committed to meeting 15 per cent of our energy demand from renewables by 2020. We already have more offshore wind-power than any other country in the world, and our plans could see this increase up to 40 times, alongside other renewable technologies such as tidal and marine, solar and sustainable bio-energy.

We will make a decision early in the next Parliament on the feasibility of alternative options for a tidal energy project on the Severn, taking full account of the environmental impacts.

We have taken the decisions to enable a new generation of nuclear power stations, and a programme of four clean coal plants with carbon capture and storage technology with a levy to fund them.

Protected areas & access to our countryside

We are committed not only to protecting but also to enhancing our natural environment, and enabling it to be enjoyed by all.

We have created two National Parks in the New Forest and South Downs, and given the public a Right to Roam our mountains, moors and heaths. We will now extend this to the whole English coastline.

We will put forward new areas for protected landscape and habitat status, focusing on green corridors and wildlife networks to link up existing sites. And we will commit to increasing the area covered by forest and woodland.

2 Farming

We want British farming to be profitable and competitive. We need our farmers to produce more food, nurturing our countryside and biodiversity.

We will continue to seek reform of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) to facilitate the creation of fairer and better functioning agricultural markets, enabling farmers to return a reasonable profit from food production at lower cost to the consumer.

Rural communities

Those who live in rural areas are entitled to excellent amenities and services, as are those who live in towns and cities. Rural communities face unique challenges. We are committed to continued investment in frontline services in rural areas.

We will protect the Post Office network, so that it can fulfil its historic role as a trusted institution serving the community.

Wales

We will work with the Welsh Assembly Government on a referendum to enhance the powers to make laws affecting Wales in Wales; and to ensure that Wales is not disproportionately disadvantaged by the application of the central government funding formula. http://www.welshlabour.org.uk/

The Conservative Party- Invitation to Join the Government of Britain http://media.conservatives.s3.amazonaws.com/manifesto/cpmanifesto2010_lowres.pdf

Sport

We will restore the National Lottery to its original purpose. Sports, heritage and the arts will each see their original allocations of 20 per cent of good cause money restored.

Olympics- We will deliver a successful Olympics that brings lasting benefits for the country as a whole. Part of the community sports budget of the National Lottery will be responsible for delivering an Olympic legacy, including the vigorous promotion of competitive sports through a national Olympic-style school competition. To support high-level sport further, we will:

• work with the Scottish government to deliver a top-quality Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014;

• ensure that the 2013 Rugby League and the 2015 Rugby Union World Cups are successful; and,

• strongly support England’s bid to host the 2018 Football World Cup.

3 Transport

A Conservative government will begin work immediately to create a high speed rail line connecting London and Heathrow with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. This is the first step towards achieving our vision of creating a national high speed rail network to join up major cities across England, Scotland and Wales. Stage two will deliver two new lines bringing the North East, Scotland and Wales into the high speed rail network.

Our goal is to make Heathrow airport better, not bigger. We will stop the third runway and instead link Heathrow directly to our high speed rail network, providing an alternative to thousands of flights. In addition, we will block plans for second runways at Stansted and Gatwick.

We will support sustainable travel initiatives that work best for local communities by:

• giving the concerns of cyclists much greater priority

• encouraging partnerships between bus operators and local authorities

• helping people cut down on work-related travel

Green Economy

We will encourage private sector investment to put Britain at the forefront of the green technology revolution, creating jobs and new businesses across the country.

We will create Britain’s first Green Investment Bank – which will draw together money currently divided across existing government initiatives, leveraging private sector capital to finance new green technology start-ups.

We will increase the proportion of tax revenues accounted for by environmental taxes, ensuring that any additional revenues from new green taxes that are principally designed as an environmental measure to change behaviour are used to reduce the burden of taxation elsewhere.

Energy

The way our energy is produced and transmitted is stuck in the last century. A Conservative government will transform this ‘dumb’, unresponsive network and create an ‘electricity internet’ – a highly interactive network, based on a new smart grid that will interact with smart meters in people’s homes, to manage supply and demand. This will allow a huge increase in renewable power, and far greater choice for consumers.

To limit harmful emissions from UK power stations, we will take steps to encourage new low carbon energy production, including:

• clearing the way for new nuclear power stations – provided they receive no public subsidy

• creating four carbon capture and storage equipped plants, taking coal – one of the most polluting fuels of all – and transforming it into a low carbon fuel of the future

4 • delivering an offshore electricity grid in order to support the development of a

• new generation of offshore wind power, and establishing at least two Marine Energy Parks

• allowing communities that host renewable energy projects like wind farms to keep the additional business rates they generate for six years

• giving incentives for smaller-scale energy generation, including capturing heat that is currently wasted

We will reform the energy regulator Ofgem so that:

• it focuses on executing energy policy

• it is tasked with monitoring the spare capacity in the energy market and making

• provisions for additional capacity where required

A Conservative government will work towards an ambitious global deal that will limit emissions and make available substantial financial resources for adaptation and mitigation. As part of our commitment to move towards a low carbon future, we can confirm our aim of reducing carbon emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

Quangos

We believe that Ministers should be responsible for government policy, not unelected bureaucrats. Any quangos that do not perform a technical function or a function that requires political impartiality, or act independently to establish facts, will be abolished.

Natural environment

Our natural environment has been degraded and urgent action is needed to address the loss of vital ecosystems in the face of climate change and development. We need to act now to enhance biodiversity, protect our countryside and marine environment, and secure the vital eco-systems that sustain life on land, in our rivers and in our seas. A Conservative government will take a broad approach to improving the natural environment as a whole, so that we can ensure a secure future for the natural world where vital ecological assets are protected and resources are used more responsibly.

Habitats

The natural world faces great pressure from development and climate change. We will produce a White Paper on protecting the natural environment, including a focus on restoring habitat. We will pioneer a new system of conservation credits to protect habitats.

We will support the strongest protection for endangered species and work to protect vital habitats from destruction.

We will take forward the Marine and Coastal Access Act and ensure that its conservation measures are implemented effectively, including the creation of Marine Conservation Zones.

5 To give wildlife greater protection, we will promote new green spaces and wildlife corridors to help animals adapt and thrive in the face of climate change.

Protected areas and access to our countryside

We will maintain national Green Belt protection, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), National Parks, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and other environmental designations which protect the character of our country’s landscape.

We will review the governance arrangements for National Parks and AONBs to ensure that they are more accountable to local communities.

Farming

To promote sustainable farming practices further, we will support the Campaign for the Farmed Environment and seek to create a more effective system of environmental stewardship.

We will negotiate for further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to deliver greater value for money while supporting the sustainability of British farming. The new CAP should reflect the importance we attach to the environment, to ensuring food security and to tackling global poverty.

Wales

We will not stand in the way of the referendum on further legislative powers requested by the Welsh Assembly. The people of Wales will decide the outcome and Conservatives will have a free vote. But our priority remains getting people back into work and strengthening the Welsh economy. So we will seek ways to work with the Welsh Assembly Government to increase economic growth and improve people’s quality of life.

See the Welsh Conservatives manifesto for further information http://www.welshconservatives.com/

Liberal Democrat – Change that works for you http://network.libdems.org.uk/manifesto2010/libdem_manifesto_2010.pdf

Sport

Olympics - We are proud that Britain is hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, and we support bids for other high-profile events such as the 2018 World Cup – but we believe that grassroots sport is just as important. We will give people from all backgrounds and generations the opportunity to participate in sports.

Reform the National Lottery. We will change the way the National Lottery is taxed from a ticket tax to a gross profits tax, which is forecast to deliver more for good causes and the Exchequer.

6 Use cash in dormant betting accounts to set up a capital fund for improving local sports facilities and supporting sports clubs.

Close loopholes that allow playing fields to be sold or built upon without going through the normal planning procedures.

Transport

We will cancel plans for a third runway at Heathrow and other airport expansion in the South East.

Undertake preparations for the introduction of a system of road pricing in a second parliament. Any such system would be revenue neutral for motorists, with revenue from cars used to abolish Vehicle Excise Duty and reduce fuel duty, helping those in rural areas who have no alternatives to road travel.

Introduce a rural fuel discount scheme which would allow a reduced rate of fuel duty to be paid in remote rural areas, as is allowed under EU law.

Energy

Set a target for 40 per cent of UK electricity to come from clean, non-carbon-emitting sources by 2020, rising to 100 per cent by 2050, underpinned by guaranteed price support; and ensure that at least three-quarters of this new renewable energy comes from marine and offshore sources.

Set out a clear renewables routemap to 2050, covering grid access and investment in electricity networks, and develop new incentives to promote renewable heat.

Transform the electricity networks into a dynamic electricity grid that can better connect and integrate new, clean energy technologies particularly through the better use of sub-sea connections, leading to the development of a European Supergrid.

Invest up to £400 million in refurbishing shipyards in the North of England and Scotland so that they can manufacture offshore wind turbines and other marine renewable energy equipment.

Block any new coal-fired power stations – the most polluting form of power generation – unless they are accompanied by the highest level of carbon capture and storage facilities.

Reject a new generation of nuclear power stations; based on the evidence nuclear is a far more expensive way of reducing carbon emissions than promoting energy conservation and renewable energy.

Protected areas and access to the countryside

Increase the general right of access to the countryside, along the lines of the model introduced by the Liberal Democrats in Scotland.

Introduce a new strategy to bring the UK back on target to halt the loss of habitats and species and as far as possible restore biodiversity by 2020.

7 Make National Parks more democratically accountable, allowing a proportion of the Park boards to be elected.

Create a new designation – similar to Site of Special Scientific Interest status – to protect green areas of particular importance or value to the community.

We will aim to double the UK’s woodland cover by 2050.

Introduce landscape-scale planning policies with a specific remit to restore water channels, rivers and wetlands and reduce flood risk by properly utilising the natural capacity of the landscape to retain water.

Rural communities

Give local authorities the power to set higher Council Tax rates for second homes and the option to require specific planning permission for new second homes, in areas where the number of such homes is threatening the viability of a community.

Through our policy on Capital Gains Tax, ensure that those who use second homes as speculative investments will pay tax on enhanced capital value at the same rate as on earned income, not at 18 per cent as at present.

End the post office closure programme to keep post offices open in rural areas where they’re the lynchpin of community life, improve access to banking and help secure the future of the Post Office through a PostBank.

Farmers

It is important to Britain’s future security that the country has a sustainable farming industry. We will build on that strength and ensure that farmers get the fair deal they deserve, are able to earn a living wage and also help to protect our natural environment and heritage.

Introduce a minimum level for the Single Farm Payment and concentrate future reductions on the highest claims so that big landowners get less, and the money goes to working farmers who need it, not people who farm one field as a hobby.

Use the money freed by our reform to Single Farm Payments to provide extra support for hill farmers, cheap loans to help farmers invest in environmentally friendly biogas digesters and a new Farming Apprenticeship scheme.

Work within Europe for further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, while continuing direct support for farmers, especially in upland and less favoured areas. We believe that a greater proportion of that support should be targeted at conservation, the environment and tackling climate change, as well as at providing food security for a rapidly growing world population.

Voluntary sector

Reform Gift Aid to operate at a single rate of 23 per cent – giving more money to charity while closing down a loophole for higher rate tax payers.

8 Wales

Give the National Assembly primary legislative powers so that it becomes a true Welsh Parliament. We also support passing on a greater number of responsibilities to the National Assembly.

Replace the current Barnett formula for allocating funding to the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish governments with a new needs based formula, to be agreed by a Finance Commission of the Nations.

See the Welsh Liberal Democrats manifesto for more information http://welshlibdems.org.uk/

Green Party – Fair is worth fighting for http://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/resources/Manifesto_web_file.pdf

Sport

Sport at school needs playing fields, too often under threat from developers. Norwich Green Party and Norwich South candidate Adrian Ramsay have successfully campaigned to save school playing fields from being sold for development.

Energy

We would introduce a massive programme of direct Government investment in large scale wind and other renewable generation, and investment in the grid, spending as much as £20bn over the Parliament and creating 80,000 jobs in installation and equipment manufacture.

Require all major development plans and planning applications to show how they will contribute to carbon reduction targets.

Aim to obtain about half our energy from renewable sources by 2020 and ensure that emissions from power generation are zero by 2030.

Phase out nuclear power and resolutely oppose any new nuclear power stations.

Not permit any further investment in new coal-fuelled power stations.

Introduce stronger planning policies to support onshore wind, tidal, wave, solar and geothermal energy schemes, and help local planning authorities to make more consistent decisions. Give micro-renewables ‘permitted development’ status.

Transport

We would prioritise transport modes according to the following hierarchy:

1. Walking and cycling

2. Public transport (trains, trams and buses) and rail freight

9 3. Cars

4. Heavy goods vehicles

5. Flying

Farming

Replace the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with support for smaller farms, organic agriculture, local food markets, and measures to increase biodiversity in our countryside – European subsidies must support planet friendly farming.

UKIP Independence Party- empowering the people http://www.ukip.org/media/policies/UKIPmanifesto1304.pdf

Sport

Retain all existing grammar schools and encourage the creation of new grammar schools and specialist schools, which will be called ‘professional schools’. UKIP will not return to a pass/fail 11-plus test but introduce a ‘Comprehensive Test’ to assess merit across a wide range of academic and non-academic abilities including vocational skills, crafts and sport.

Climate change

UKIP accepts that the world’s climate changes, but we are the first party to take a sceptical stance on man-made global warming claims.

Energy

UKIP now calls for an immediate halt to unjustified spending on renewable sources that has led to massive energy price hikes and fuel poverty. UKIP will:

Increase nuclear power generation to provide up to 50% of our electricity needs

Oppose wind farms in general and require large new wind power schemes to be funded by the market

Ensure any large new wind farms are constructed offshore. UKIP regards onshore wind turbines and the accompanying power lines as eyesores in beautiful countryside

Transport

Oppose a sixth Heathrow Airport terminal and third runway and the expansion of

Gatwick and Stansted in favour of a major new Hong Kong-style Thames Estuary airport with motorway connections and a high-speed rail service to London, the UK and the Continent

10 Wales

Retain devolved national assembly but replace the representatives with Westminster MPs.

Plaid Cymru – Think Different Think Plaid http://www.plaidcymru.org/content.php?nID=1216;catID=7;pubID=264;lID=1

Transport

Plaid Cymru opposes plans for a third runway at Heathrow.

We call for the removal of hidden subsidies for air travel and the introduction of tax on aviation fuel. The revenue generated should be invested in improving the public transport network and in reducing rail and long-distance bus fares substantially.

We need cheaper and faster high-speed electric rail links from Wales to mainland Europe. We call for a review of the National Assembly’s powers over freight transport and a phased transfer of heavy freight from road to rail.

Energy

Our action plan would bring high-speed electrified railways to Wales, develop an infrastructure for electric vehicles and change the national grid to encourage small-scale energy production across the country.

We would roll out a national programme of home insulation to save energy, and we would create green electricity through renewable energy projects.

Plaid will continue to campaign for a windfall tax on energy companies to help pay for grants for insulation for lower income families. We will also work to ensure that the new feed-in tariffs encourage community scale renewable energy.

We will support micro generation and other small-scale sustainable power generation schemes, including tidal, wave-power, on-shore and offshore wind, hydro and biomass.

We call for emission performance standards for all new power stations and we reaffirm our opposition to the construction of any new nuclear power stations in Wales. We call for research into the creation of a European Smart Power Grid for the sharing of renewable energies across Europe.

Farming

Investment in community based farming would produce more locally-grown food.

Plaid Cymru believes that farming is central to the prosperity and sustainability of our rural communities.

Reaffirm our commitment to keeping Wales GM-free.

We also need to ensure that Wales’ interests are at the heart of the UK’s negotiations with other EU Member States when the Common Agricultural Policy is reviewed in 2013.

We need changes to UK food labelling legislation so that consumers have clear information on ‘place of farming’. Plaid Cymru will also oppose a UK Treasury livestock tax being imposed on Welsh farmers.

Climate Change

The Welsh Assembly government has committed Wales to annual carbon reduction- equivalent emissions of 3% per year by 2011 in areas of devolved competence.

The National Assembly has agreed, with cross party support, to reduce emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2020. Plaid will work to ensure that this decision is turned into meaningful and effective action to achieve the full reduction, and calls on the government in Westminster to follow Wales’ lead.

We will continue to oppose the use of waste incinerators and support binding targets for waste prevention. We support recycling targets of 80% of domestic waste by 2020 and the introduction of a higher landfill tax. We will campaign for changes in public procurement legislation so that Local Authorities can favour materials from recycled and local sources.