28 May 2023
John, from our Slough branch, had the following letter published in the Slough Express, and an edited version in the Slough Observer this week (26th May):
It is to be hoped that our new Council will display some much-needed competence and energy in dealing with the many problems affecting Slough following the poor management of the last few years.
The local Green Party thanks the increasing number of voters for their support for a greater focus on the neglected issues in local government of climate change and environmental degradation.
The first two Green Councillors in our East Berkshire region were elected in Bracknell, though, sadly, we narrowly failed to record our first Green councillor in Slough.
Time is running out for effective action, as we are now told that average global temperatures are likely to breach the critical tipping point of 1.5 degrees in the near future, which could trigger much more disastrous events.
We would urge the new Council, as it confronts the urgent financial and servicing needs of our borough, not to neglect or postpone urgent action on the most serious threats to our planet.
Though the essential policies for dealing with these threats are the responsibility of national government, much action is also required at a local level.
Will the new council pay serious attention to the inadequate planning by its predecessor to reduce local carbon emissions, will it act to reduce air pollution in Slough (recently declared to be the worst in SE England outside London), will it make sustainable heating systems a key requirement for all new housing, will it protect biodiversity? The list could go on. Inaction is no longer a viable policy.
And could we be told how many Slough voters were prevented from exercising their democratic right by failing to meet the government's biassed identification criteria.
