IPSWICH ACTS ON CLIMATE CHANGE (Ipswich Liberal Democrats)

Ipswich Liberal Democrats <info@ipswichlibdems.org.uk>

IPSWICH ACTS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

October 30, 2006 2:54 PM

Cllr. Richard Atkins

LibDem councillors on Ipswich Borough Council follow their LibDem County Council colleagues and sign up for action.

Ipswich LibDems are asking councillors from the other parties to support their call for action on climate change at this Wednesday's council meeting. The LibDems are bringing the so-called Nottingham Declaration to Ipswich Borough, following the lead of the LibDems on Suffolk County Council, who proposed the same a few weeks back.

It has to be good news that representatives of all 3 parties attended the showing of Al Gore's film 'An Inconvenient Truth' at the Ipswich Film Theatre recently.

Richard Atkins said "it is good news that all parties are recognising the scale of the problem".

"We took the lead at our Party Conference when we introduced our 'Green Tax Switch' proposals, where polluters pay, and income tax is reduced. So many people have told us that this makes sense, and it is good to see other parties now adopting this approach."

County Councillor Andrew Cann, who took the same motion to the County, commented "once again it is the LibDems setting the pace, but the important thing is that all parties are working together to solve this enormous problem which faces us all".

Text of the motion:

Ipswich Borough Council: -

Acknowledges that

• Evidence shows climate change is occurring.

• Climate change will continue to have far reaching effects on the UK's people and places, economy, society and environment.

Welcomes the

• Social, economic and environmental benefits which come from combating climate change.

• Emissions targets agreed by central government and the programme for delivering change, as set out in the UK Climate Change Programme.

• Opportunity for local government to lead the response at a local level, encouraging and helping local residents, local businesses and other organisations - to reduce their energy costs, to reduce congestion, to adapt to the impacts of climate change, to improve the local environment, and to deal with fuel poverty in our communities.

• Endorsement of this declaration by central government.

Commits itself from this date, the 1st November 2006, to

• Work with central government to contribute, at a local level, to the delivery of the UK Climate Change Programme, the Kyoto Protocol and the target for carbon dioxide reduction by 2010.

• Participate in local and regional networks for support.

• Within the next two years develop plans with Executive and our other partners and local communities to progressively address the causes and impacts of climate change, according to our local priorities, securing maximum