Newcastle upon Tyne Green Party 2021 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................... 3 Covid-19 ...................................................................................................................................................... 4 HEALTH ......................................................................................................................................................... 5 Collaboration ............................................................................................................................................. 5 Social Care ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Public health .............................................................................................................................................. 6 MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING ................................................................................................................ 7 Investing in communities ........................................................................................................................... 7 Regulatory changes prioritising health and wellbeing ................................................................................. 8 Create Healthy Environments ..................................................................................................................... 8 TRANSPORT .................................................................................................................................................. 9 Avoiding Journeys - The 15-minute City .................................................................................................. 9 Shifting Journeys - A Green Light for Sustainable Transport ...................................................................... 9 Improving Journeys – the Transition to Greener Transport for All ............................................................. 10 ENERGY ...................................................................................................................................................... 11 Reduce energy consumption .................................................................................................................... 11 Improve energy efficiency of homes and buildings ................................................................................... 11 Shift to renewable electricity and low-carbon heat .................................................................................. 12 WILDLIFE AND HABITATS ............................................................................................................................ 13 Protect our Green Belt and green spaces ................................................................................................. 13 Expand our network of wildlife corridors .................................................................................................. 13 Green our city .......................................................................................................................................... 14 EDUCATION ................................................................................................................................................. 15 Lifelong learning ...................................................................................................................................... 15 Learning and Sharing of Ideas .................................................................................................................. 15 Learning about the world around us ......................................................................................................... 16 1 LOCAL ECONOMY ........................................................................................................................................ 17 Addressing future needs for a healthy economy ....................................................................................... 17 Invest in local communities ...................................................................................................................... 17 A sustainable way forward – a green revolution ....................................................................................... 18 HOUSING ..................................................................................................................................................... 19 Low-carbon homes ................................................................................................................................. 19 Housing for everyone ............................................................................................................................... 19 Location, location, location....................................................................................................................... 20 WASTE ........................................................................................................................................................ 21 Reduce .................................................................................................................................................... 21 Reuse ...................................................................................................................................................... 22 Recycle .................................................................................................................................................... 22 FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ............................................................................................................................ 23 Stronger and Shorter Food Supply Chains ................................................................................................ 23 A Slower Food System ............................................................................................................................. 23 The Newcastle City Centre Food Landscape ............................................................................................. 24 LOCAL DEMOCRACY .................................................................................................................................... 25 Put people at the centre of local democracy; their voices must be heard – and heeded ............................ 25 Increasing Visibility and Transparency...................................................................................................... 25 Build back trust for genuine community engagement ............................................................................... 26 2 Newcastle Green Party have been drawing attention to climate change for years and the City Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency is a step in the right direction. Yet the scale of the climate and ecological crises facing us demand more urgent action. We have until 2030 to make the changes needed to avert the setting in motion of catastrophic climate change. We believe that now is the time for bold ideas and a change from ‘business as usual’. Newcastle Green Party would like to reimagine our city by making it more accessible, reducing inequality and raising the standard of living for everyone. To achieve this, we propose the Green New Deal: Transport • Fully commit to an infrastructure for active transport to enable people to walk and cycle safely. Prioritise improvements to public transport. Energy • Enable the shift to renewables through grants and funding and reduce fuel poverty across the city. Local Economy • Invest in Newcastle’s future by moving away from few, large, expensive projects and instead invest in local communities across the city. Housing • Maximise the energy efficiency of all new housing and retrofit existing homes with energy-saving measures. Food and Agriculture • Encourage buying local produce and increase support for healthy eating. We also propose the Green Quality of Life Guarantee: We will support people and give them what they need to thrive. By valuing the health and wellbeing of our bodies, minds and our environment rather than that of the economy, we will actually strengthen our economy and live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives. 3 The Coronavirus pandemic is a worldwide disaster which has highlighted the inequalities within our communities caused by the way our system currently works. The Green Party believe in a healthier, fairer and more equal society, and are working to improve the underlying structural reasons for the poverty, discrimination and health inequalities that so many people face simply because of their race, age, sex, gender, beliefs, sexual orientation, physical or mental health. The inequalities exposed by the pandemic are linked to issues such as overcrowded housing, an unfair benefits system, job insecurity, ageism and institutional racism, with black and minority ethnic (BAME) groups and those working in certain jobs being particularly affected. Domestic violence and poverty have increased, poorer families have been especially disadvantaged by school closures and there have been widespread mental health problems and alcohol abuse. Due to existing inequalities, the North East region has been hit hard by the pandemic and by March 2021, nearly 23,000 people in Newcastle are known to have had the virus, many of whom will