Answers by Brighton & Green Party in response to questions by B&H Friends of the Earth
1) Do you oppose selling off the city’s downland (like the forests nationally) to plug any future budget holes?
YES. Proper stewardship of the Downs is necessary to protect the underlying aquifer (and thus the city's drinking water), to provide activities that benefit physical and mental health, to benefit biodiversity and to play some role in supplying the city with food.
We believe that this stewardship is best advanced through ongoing public ownership by the Council. We don't believe in reducing everything to cash terms, but we are confident that the value of these 'ecosystem services' is immeasurably greater than a lump sum from selling off the family silver.
2) Do you support Brighton & Hove becoming a Biosphere Reserve (greening the city and improving quality of life and links to the Downs)?
YES. We are committed to working towards UN Biosphere status through programmes in rural and urban areas. We want to see a rich natural environment integrated with the city through initiatives such as green roofs and open spaces. We would also use ‘green corridors’ to join up the natural wildlife spaces within the city, and require the incorporation of biodiversity into our planning requirements.
We want to build on the partnership work of local experts and volunteers who guide and participate in the management of the city’s wild spaces.
We will also to encourage greater access to the Downs by supporting sustainable transport, and increase education about the downland estate on our doorstep. We would like to see an office for the South Downs National Park in the city centre to inform and encourage visitors.
3) Will you prioritise taking action to reduce carbon emissions (in line with Sustainable Community Strategy targets – 42% reduction in direct carbon emissions by 2020 and 80% reduction by 2050)?
YES. Greens made significant contributions to the development of the SCS, resulting in the inclusion of some key issues such as the carbon reduction targets, the role of transport and the notion of living within environmental limits.
Lowering our emissions will require using less energy, switching to low and zero-carbon sources, and reducing the amount of ‘embodied’ carbon in the products we consume. To achieve these we must look across the board at different areas. Key issues in Brighton & Hove include energy efficient homes and buildings, sustainable transport, and food.
For example we would like to see the retrofitting of existing buildings that can benefit from cavity wall and loft insulation, and aspire to become a demonstration city for 'harder to treat' buildings. We would also want to become a ‘decentralised energy city' by promoting a wide expansion in community and micro-scale renewable heat and electricity production, taking advantage of Feed in Tariffs and the Renewable Heat Incentive, and exploring new sources of finance. These schemes would also create local jobs and training opportunities for the city and lift vulnerable residents out of fuel poverty.
Greens would also promote walking and cycling infrastructure to reduce car dependency (see answers to 6) which would boost road safety and health. Similarly affordable and reliable public transport reduces emissions and improves accessibility across the city for residents on lower incomes. We have also made the case for locally-sourced food to be supported through the council’s procurement and food growing education, which can boost the local economy, and public health.
Reducing carbon emissions is a key priority, but is integrated into a wider approach to improve the city’s wellbeing.
4) Will you increase recycling and composting (in line with Sustainable Community Strategy targets – 70% citywide recycling / composting rate for domestic waste and 80% for commercial waste by 2025)?
YES. We will work towards a zero-waste Brighton & Hove with the ethos of reduce, reuse and recycle. We will promote city-wide waste reduction and food waste collection, encourage composting and continue to campaign for reduced packaging with shop goods. Food waste is a significant element of the waste going to landfill. We want to in the first instance reduce the amount of food being thrown away through education, and secondly encourage local composting and work on a city-wide waste collection. In our recent budget amendments we secured funding for a food waste collection pilot.
5) Will you prioritise buses to give them a green wave though traffic lights (to speed up services and reduce costs)?
YES. This is something we would look at to help ease congestion in the city, and reducing ‘waiting time’ for bus services. ‘Green Wave’ light systems are also used to help facilitate bike traffic in other cities around the world and this is something we would look to do more work on.