North Hertfordshire Green Party

NORTH HERTFORDSHIRE GREEN PARTY

District Manifesto – May 2010

Final version

Contents

1 Introduction 2 Core Principles 3 Our District Priorities 3.1 Planning Development Policy 3.2 Insulating Existing Buildings 3.3 Working with the Community 3.4 Transition Towns 3.5 Working with Business 3.6 Taxation 3.7 Waste Management 3.8 Transport 3.9 The Operation of the Council 4 Working with Other Parties 5 What You Can Expect from a Green Councillor

Appendices

A Future Updates and Wider Policies B Core Principles

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This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL 1 Introduction

Welcome to our manifesto for the May 2010 district council elections. For a number of years we believe we have been the only political party contesting elections in North Hertfordshire to have produced and made a manifesto readily available. We hope it gives you a good idea of our policies and priorities. We welcome feedback (or ideas for next year) which you can e- mail to us at [email protected] or send to the Green Party candidate standing in your ward.

This year the North Hertfordshire Green Party is again contesting every ward in the district - every voter can vote for a Green Party candidate. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible, in particular the 190 people - many of whom have no connection with the Green Party - who were willing to propose, second or assent to our candidates’ nominations to allow them to stand.

So why vote for a Green Party candidate? The details are to be found in this document, but in summary the Green Party wants to move much faster than other parties in taking meaningful measures to help us live within our means (having regards to population and resources), to reduce our dependence on oil, to treat all people fairly and to develop a thriving and participatory community spirit. Other parties talk about prosperity, but the Green Party’s policies are focused on well-being and happiness.

This document summarises the policies that our candidates have agreed to pursue were they to be elected to North Hertfordshire District Council (NHDC). It takes account of the powers and responsibilities of NHDC.

Even a minority of Greens on the council will make a positive difference for people living and working in the area.

For information on future updates to this manifesto and on county and national policies, see Appendix A .

2 Core Principles

Green Party councillors are united behind the Core Principles of the Green Party – principles that promote worldwide sustainable and peaceful existence and social justice. Our policies are intended to be consistent with these. If a matter arises that is not specifically covered by this manifesto (or if developments occur which affect the appropriateness of anything stated within), then account will be taken of the Core Principles when formulating or re-formulating policy. The Core Principles are set out in Appendix B .

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This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL 3 Our District Policies

3.1 Planning Development Policy

NHDC’s powers are limited. We believe the most important direct contribution it can make to combat climate change is to ensure that all new build is constructed to the highest environmental standards.

We believe that publicity given to, and consultations in respect of, the Local Development Framework have not been as good as they should have been. As a priority we would divert resource to improve this in future and to accelerate progress.

With regards to development policies, our long-term ideal would be to ensure that all new development (either new build or conversion) will be required to demonstrate that it does not add any net CO 2 emissions over the life-cycle of its operation. Developers could adopt a range of technical approaches to achieve this objective.

It would be for the developer to decide which approach is the most appropriate to deliver a zero net carbon standard in their specific proposal. The applicant would have to demonstrate, through a development appraisal, if the adoption of such an approach resulted in an undue burden on the viability of the scheme. In addition, there would be a presumption against any development which results in a significant net increase in carbon dioxide emissions.

However, we recognise it will take time for builders to develop expertise in low carbon technology and there are cost and supply chain issues. We would like to see NHDC working with other councils and central government to keep pushing for high standards so that builders have to develop such expertise. In practice in the short term we envisage the need to:

• adopt a phased approach whereby NHDC’s development policies set dates on which new minimum standards under the Sustainable Construction Code for residential housing will be phased in; and

• set a minimum code rating to apply to all developments with higher code standards being required at named locations (where land values or the strategic value of the sites can be used to justify the requirement given current technical abilities and supply chain issues).

This would have the effect of improving the water and energy efficiency and the proportion of on-site energy generation in a realistic manner. This policy is based on ‘Code for Sustainable Homes: a step change in sustainable home building practice’ published by Department for Communities and Local Government in December 2006 and which came into force on 1 May 2008.

We would want developers to contribute to a fund administered by NHDC when new build does not meet Sustainable Homes level 6 (zero-carbon). This would fund the construction of strategic low or zero carbon energy generation facilities in the district.

For commercial properties we would seek to set similar stringent targets.

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This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL We will endeavour to find practical and legal incentives which the council can provide to encourage developments which meet higher environmental standards earlier than planning policy requires.

We believe it is important that the Local Development Framework has an adaption strategy. For example, new developments would need to be modelled against projected potential temperatures for 2050 to show that they would meet the Chartered Institute of Building Service Engineers temperature standards for habitable rooms (the number of times a living room or bedroom should exceed a certain temperature each year). We need to plan for the outdoor environment too – providing solar respite and cooler areas.

On brownfield sites we would require a presumption against demolition and in favour of refurbishment, unless either the new build attains Sustainable Homes Level 6 or it attains Sustainable Homes Level 5 with acceptable justification being provided as to both why a higher Sustainable Homes Level is not achievable and why refurbishment is not appropriate. This is because of the energy embodied in the existing buildings and in order for the building industry to start to face up to the challenge of retrofitting the existing housing stock to high energy efficiencies.

We are in principle strongly against greenfield site development. However, where it proves necessary we believe that it is important that any such developments should be subject to exceptionally high standards designed to promote a sustainable lifestyle.

We want to see strong policies in the Local Development Framework protecting and developing local employment and green spaces to reduce the need to travel for work and recreation.

We believe current planning policies have resulted in an inappropriate mix of new build in our towns which doesn’t help families. The Local Development Framework needs to have strong policies on affordable housing in the context of developments that will create a community spirit and meet the needs of a wide range of people in the community.

Planning Decisions

Whenever a Green Party councillor is called to make a judgement on a planning application, then the application will be considered on its merits, and the councillor will form their own independent judgement, having regard to the realistic consequences of any decision taken.

3.2 Insulating Existing Buildings

Another way we can make big inroads into reducing our carbon emissions is by local and national government working together to offer free insulation to all residences. National government (or other agencies) would need to provide the funding and local authorities would organise the work.

The proposal would cover loft insulation, cavity wall insulation or where that is not appropriate internal cladding, hot water tank insulation and draught-proofing. The programme would be rolled out street-by-street in each local authority area, starting with the least insulated properties. Every householder would be offered advice, including advice on potential fuel savings, and free insulation appropriate to their home. Householders would be free to refuse the offer, but the decision will rest with the occupier, not, if there is one, the landlord. - 4 –

This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL

The aim of this is to reduce by 25% domestic carbon emissions, which made up 21% of total emissions in 2005.

• The average householder can save up to half of their domestic fuel costs by improving insulation.

• Emissions from dwellings are 21% of the total, so this is an important area to reduce.

• Existing dwellings are far more important than new ones. There are over 20 million existing houses and flats but only 160,000 new ones are built each year. So it would take 125 years to replace the existing stock. High insulation standards for the new ones are important, but they are only a small part of the story.

• A rapid programme of insulating existing dwellings is a simple way to make rapid savings in emissions.

The programme needs to be free to ensure that it is carried out – despite the savings householders can make, very few insulate their homes voluntarily each year.

NHDC does not have the funds to operate such a programme on its own. However, the council should start calling on central government to initiate such a programme and make the case for how it would help the district reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. We estimate the cost nationally to be around £6 billion a year and this could be funded by re-introducing the vehicle fuel tax escalator. Electing Green Party councillors would help to add support for such measures.

3.3 Working with the Community

We see the challenge of climate change as being one that needs to involve the whole community. We would therefore seek to establish a district-wide project to tackle it.

We would like to see a variety of forums at district and local level where those with expertise, imagination and enthusiasm would debate and initiate local solutions. This ties in closely with Transition Towns initiatives, which are discussed in the next section.

We support devolving powers to the lowest possible level and wish our area committees to develop a more active role in the community. For example, the committee could take a pro- active stance to expand public participation by inviting presentations from a greater variety of community groups and local organisations and publicising them widely in advance. We would encourage proposals to be put forward by outside bodies to supplement area committee meetings with separate themed debates or discussion forums involving both councillors and members of the public.

We support most initiatives that bring people together and develop the local economy. For example, we support the development of a Local Exchange Trading Scheme in each town and will support, protect and promote the use of allotments and look to develop new allotments.

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This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL Our councillors would seek to be energetic and hard-working, but would also want to facilitate the development of personal leadership and practical action at all levels of the community. Our goal is that when our term of office has expired the community will be able to look back on its achievements with pride.

3.4 Transition Towns

A ‘Transition Town’ is the name given to a community that is seeking to adopt a transition model to deal with the twin challenges of peak oil and climate change. Such communities are seeking to answer the question

"For all those aspects of life that this community needs in order to sustain itself and thrive, how do we significantly increase resilience (to mitigate the effects of Peak Oil) and drastically reduce carbon emissions (to mitigate the effects of Climate Change)?"

Transition Town initiatives involve creative thinking and skilling people up to rely less on oil. Transition Towns vary in size from small towns like Totnes and Ottery St Mary to large cities like Nottingham and Exeter. Why not the towns and villages of North Hertfordshire as well? Letchworth Garden City now has an established Transition Town group (see http://ttletchworth.org ) and one has recently been formed in Hitchin.

We think that Transition Town initiatives are probably best run by volunteers outside local government, but we will be pro-active in encouraging the development of these in all our towns and villages. NHDC’s role would be to provide practical support in partnership. However, it is important that the council does not seek to dominate and trusts the wisdom of the community.

3.5 Working with Business

We support economic localisation and as a result believe the council should support local businesses, where they are playing a part in helping local residents live a more sustainable lifestyle or perform well against a list of stated social and environmental objectives. We would set up a web hub on the council website with quick and easy access to such businesses and also ask the Council to produce a directory available in libraries and delivered to households from time to time. We would provide an award scheme to give credit to local businesses which show leadership in reducing their own or their clients’ carbon footprint.

We would seek to develop farmers’ markets in our towns, subsidising these for a period where necessary in order to establish them. We believe this will cut down on food miles and revitalise our town centres. However, these will need to occur more frequently than monthly to become established and grow. We will also seek funding to support the development of sustainable local and regional food distribution systems, whereby local organisations of all kinds source as much as possible of their food purchases from within the area.

We will promote local supply chain initiatives and ‘buy local’ campaigns. We would establish a low-cost business centre for people who wish to create small start-ups with environmental, local food, recycling or social enterprise goals. We will support and help promote local initiatives and small businesses that focus on recycling materials, re-use and repair.

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This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL We believe the local planning policies should ensure that there are places for small local shops in our towns. The aim should be that 50% of any new retail developments should be occupied by small retailers. Our market towns in particular can thrive from a “small is beautiful” philosophy.

In planning policies we would encourage development of sites that are well located for environmentally friendly transport options for staff and businesses. We support the use of rail- freight (for example, reinstatement of rail sidings in the Cadwell Lane area of Hitchin for transport of freight to and from the town’s industrial area if HGV access can be resolved, thus removing noise and dust pollution from around the rail station itself).

3.6 Taxation

Council tax rises are likely to be similar whichever party is in power, since central government tends to cap increases.

Our aims are to cut carbon emissions and raise income through the ‘polluter pays’ principle, investing locally to help people live a lower-carbon lifestyle in a district with a thriving community spirit.

If local councils are subsequently granted greater flexibility in the ways in which they set taxes, we will look for opportunities to align taxation more closely with the impact a taxpayer has on the environment. This might include reducing council tax and setting environmental taxes. Without knowing what options will be available, we cannot be specific at present, but our aim would be to implement change gradually and ensure that no-one with a carbon footprint below the district average pays more than under the current system. (A carbon footprint is a measurement of the amount of greenhouse gases emitted as a result of the direct and indirect actions of an individual over a year.)

We also support a nationwide move to a land-value taxation system if this ever becomes available to local authorities as an alternative to council tax in its current form. We have a further briefing document on this available on request.

3.7 Waste Management

We are committed to improving recycling facilities and would seek to make progress in increasing the proportion of waste that is recycled, aiming for high levels in line with best performance elsewhere in the world. In the long term we would encourage the separate collection of kitchen and food waste so that it can be processed to produce energy from methane, and uncontaminated compost to return to the land.

However, we strongly support the waste hierarchy: reduce then re-use then recycle. We believe that it is also very important to provide information to residents and businesses about the consequences of waste to enable them to make good decisions to reduce and re-use as a priority.

We will promote Freecycle, swapping schemes and other initiatives that repair items or re-use waste materials.

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This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL We will set up community composting projects, wood recycling and creative scrap schemes where it is feasible to do so. These enable local products, currently perceived as waste, to be put back into use within the local area. This way people can become more aware of the value of material goods and transportation is kept to a minimum.

We will explore rebate schemes whereby a level of council tax could be set and discounts earned on it depending on the proportion of waste that is recycled. We note that such schemes are already popular in some supermarkets in the district where shoppers can earn loyalty points from recycling plastics. We feel that this would make a significant difference to behaviour and reduce waste.

As a general principle we oppose long term contracts with private companies for any waste disposal solution which would be likely to undermine increased recycling, reduction and reuse policies. In addition, while we are strongly in favour of using less energy so as to reduce emissions of harmful gases, we are opposed to so-called 'energy from waste' treatments that burn plastics and other re-usable materials.

3.8 Transport

Most transport decisions are taken by Hertfordshire County Council. However, the district is not without influence.

Motor vehicles and roads

We would instruct the council to enter into discussion with providers with the ambition of setting up car clubs in the towns. The council would also provide information that groups of people would need in order to set up their own informal clubs. Our target is to have a car club parking space within 5 minutes of every home by 2014. We would consider introducing widespread Controlled Parking Zones if this would make such schemes economically feasible. (Car clubs are arrangements in which shared cars are available to hire by members of the club, enabling car ownership to reduce.)

In partnership with the county council and other borough and district councils, we want to develop better buses and believe that this needs to be done in conjunction with managing car parking. Bus companies invest in areas where they can compete with the private car. If it is cheaper to park than take the bus into the town or to the station from nearby villages and suburbs then people will use their car. If the council limits the amount of parking in places well-served by buses and sets parking charges to be just above the comparable bus fare, services can flourish, with a ‘virtuous circle’ created as increased bus use makes more routes commercially viable. Parking policy is the single most powerful tool the council has for encouraging a virtuous circle of investment and better services from bus companies. Without a policy of this kind, bus subsidies would be wasted.

We envisage cheaper parking charges for more environmentally friendly vehicles, which is already happening for the congestion charge and permit parking in parts of London.

We will therefore work to limit the number of parking places in town centres and other places well served by public transport such as rail stations, large workplaces, sports and shopping developments.

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This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL As a general principle, we oppose road building because new roads attract more car journeys, increase carbon emissions, are costly and damage landscapes and habitats. The pent-up demand to travel is so high in this part of the South East that any new road capacity will fill up in a very short time, being therefore poor value for money and bad for the environment. We therefore oppose widening the A1(M) between Junctions 6 and 8. The only exception in North Hertfordshire we are currently aware of is the proposal for an industrial link road into the industrial estate in the Cadwell area of Hitchin. We would support this link road if it can be proven that the road would not create a new commuter through route whilst effectively re-routing HGVs out of residential areas. This would improve the attractiveness of the industrial area to new investment, benefit quality of life and create better conditions for walking and cycling.

We support 20 mph zones throughout our towns. This would enable many signs and road- markings to be removed making our roads less cluttered. This would result in far fewer accidents and fewer casualties when there are accidents. It would help cyclists and encourage many more people to cycle and walk. Slower traffic flows better and results in reduced stop-start emissions.

Cyclists and pedestrians

We support installing increased cycle parking facilities instead and to support more cycle infrastructure (such as the Royston cycle subway to the station).

We will press the county council to develop good walking and cycling routes in our district and support such efforts. The council would work in partnership with local walking, cycling and disability groups to improve street design and layout for the needs of non-car users. It would provide a telephone number and e-mail address for pedestrians, cyclists and the mobility impaired to report their concerns and put pressure on the county council to resolve them. We want funds from planning obligations actively used for sustainable transport improvements. We will press for the NHDC Cycle Route Network Strategy (SPD19) to be adopted as a Local Development Document and implemented.

To support those who choose to walk or use public transport, we will seek to reverse the decline in local public toilet facilities, looking at innovative solutions (such as partnerships with businesses). We will encourage local businesses to provide use of showering and changing facilities for cyclists and would also look at ways the council could provide such facilities cheaply (for example at leisure centres).

Rail and aviation

We support the plan for an elevated Cambridge rail loop line over the East Coast Main Line, the ‘Hitchin Flyover’, but will seek to ensure the construction minimises environmental and landscape damage.

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This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL We oppose expansion of Luton Airport beyond its current capacity for reasons of carbon emissions, local noise, air pollution and road traffic generation. We support the development of better rail and coach services for short haul journeys within the UK. The bulk of forecast air travel growth for the UK is outbound, short-haul, short-stay leisure trips. These flights are still not used by the poorest 20% of the population, drain money away from local economies, blight the lives of people living near and around the airport and disproportionately harm the climate. We support rail links to Europe and the development of local greenspaces for ‘doorstep-leisure’ as a more environmentally friendly option.

General

We wish to draw on the work of the Transport Visioning groups in the district. In particular, we support the recommendations made in the 2020 Transport Vision for Hitchin with the exception of any support for a Hitchin Southern Bypass.

3.9 The Operation of the Council

We will demand that NHDC sets an example in applying high environmental standards to its day-to-day activities. Environmental consequences should be taken into account in all decision making. For instance, we would set an example of leading environmental standards when replacing the council’s fleet of vehicles. We will seek to minimise waste within the working environment at council offices and set appropriate work policies for the council’s staff (for example, with regards to travel and home working).

We would reduce carbon emissions from council staff travelling to and from work and on council business, by setting ambitious mode share targets in the council travel plan (i.e. reducing the number and proportion of single occupancy private car trips). We would remove any reserved car parking places and subsidised parking for employees.

(Most travel plan initiatives to reduce car commuting and promote the alternatives fail if the CEO has a reserved car place. We would want leadership by example!)

We believe the council needs to measure and report on its own carbon footprint and take this into account in its operational decisions.

Similarly, the council should measure (as far as is possible) the carbon and ecological footprint of the district and take that into account too in its wider decisions. This would help the council target policies by identifying areas where they would bring greatest benefit.

We would increase awareness programmes, both internally within the council and externally by community roadshows, and would appoint a council Climate Change officer to advise residents who want to change their lifestyles or take action.

We would monitor best practice in other councils and also seek to encourage, and be receptive to, suggestions both from within the council and from the community for initiatives that haven’t been tried elsewhere.

We will review the procurement of all services from an ethical and environmental standpoint.

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This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL We believe the council’s current record on consultation is poor. We would improve the quality and level of consultation on key decisions. We believe that political parties can work in partnership with the council on this through ward communications.

4 Working with Other Parties

Our councillors will vote on each issue on its merits.

In the event of a hung council, North Hertfordshire Green Party councillors would be open- minded as to entering into a coalition with any other party represented on the council (with the exception of any party that has policies that are directly at odds with our Core Principles), or independent councillors. Any decision to accept or decline an offer of entering into a coalition administration would take account of the other group’s willingness to make progress towards the North Hertfordshire Green Party’s long-term goals.

5 What You Can Expect from a Green Councillor

Our councillors will:

keep their ward informed of key issues;
listen to views of residents;
consult, whenever a decision is important and there are several solutions that are consistent with our Core Principles;
show leadership and encourage leadership in others;
take decisions for the long-term;
tell it as it is.

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This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL Appendix A – Future Updates and Wider Policies

This manifesto is intended to be a live document and will be revised from time to time to reflect new developments. The latest copy (and any copies that were effective at the time of an election) will be available on our website.

Last year we produced a manifesto for the county council elections, which is available separately on our website. The national policies of the Green Party are already detailed in a general election manifesto and in the Policies for a Sustainable Society section of its website: http://policy.greenparty.org.uk

Appendix B – Core Principles

The Core Principles of the Green Party are: a. Humankind depends on the diversity of the natural world for its existence. We do not believe that other species are expendable. b. The Earth’s physical resources are finite. We threaten our future if we try to live beyond those means, so we must build a sustainable society that guarantees our long-term future. c. Every person, in this and future generations, should be entitled to basic material security as of right. d. Our actions should take account of the well-being of other nations, other species, and future generations. We should not pursue our well-being to the detriment of theirs. e. A healthy society is based on voluntary co-operation between empowered individuals in a democratic society, free from discrimination whether based on race, colour, gender, sexual orientation, religion, social origin or any other prejudice. f. We emphasise democratic participation and accountability by ensuring that decisions are taken at the closest practical level to those affected by them. g. We look for non-violent solutions to conflict situations, which take into account the interests of minorities and future generations in order to achieve lasting settlements. h. The success of a society cannot be measured by narrow economic indicators, but should take account of factors affecting the quality of life for all people: personal freedom, social equity, health, happiness and human fulfilment. i. Electoral politics is not the only way to achieve change in society, and we will use a variety of methods to help effect change, providing those methods do not conflict with our other core principles. j. The Green Party puts changes in both values and lifestyles at the heart of the radical green agenda.

North Hertfordshire Green Party 12 April 2010

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This document was published on a website that is promoted by Phil Oddy on behalf of the North Hertfordshire and Stevenage Green Party, both of 149 Green Drift, Royston, SG8 5BL