Ipswich Lib Dem plastic bag initiatives not matched by Tory County. (Ipswich Liberal Democrats)

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

Ipswich Lib Dem plastic bag initiatives not matched by Tory County.

February 29, 2008 11:29 AM

andrew garden In the month that Liberal Democrats have got two key initiatives to get rid of plastic bags in Ipswich agreed we challenge the Tory administration at the County Council apply themselves to this challenge. There follows below the press release on the matter.

Liberal Democrats challenged the Conservative Administration at Suffolk County Council to stop dragging its heels on work to cut down plastic bag use in Suffolk.

In December Liberal Democrats proposed the county council should take the lead in persuading both retailers and consumers that Suffolk should be free of plastic bags by 2010.

The Conservatives amended the motion to take out the 2010 target but agreed to take the lead in pushing this issue.

This week has seen Marks and Spencer implement a 5p charge for plastic bags in its food stores and the Government is threatening to introduce legislation to impose a charge of 5p or even more on all giveaway bags next year if retailers fail to act themselves.

Deputy Group Leader Cllr Andrew Cann said, "We had concerns in December that the Conservatives' insistence that any proposals should go through the Suffolk Waste Partnership would just be a way of slowing this all down; death by committee. It's now been over two months since the Liberal Democrats proposed banning plastic bags from Suffolk and what have the Administration done?

As far as I can tell they have held a meeting about it and are designing an action plan, but that has yet to be agreed. The approach the Tories are taking will lose any political momentum our proposals gained in December. With major retailers like M&S now taking this issue seriously and the Government finally getting on board too it's time for real political leadership in Suffolk to make this happen.

We were concerned that removing our target date for action would result in more procrastination. Our fears that minds were not really concentrated on this may already be proving so.

In Ipswich Liberal Democrats have recently passed two Executive papers committing the Borough council to get rid of it's own plastic bags this year and committing the council to promote initiatives with the business sector. That shows how fast we can act if the will is there. Yet again the Tories at the County Council are proving to talk the talk but not walk the walk on green issues."