Photo Review of 2016

Its been a tumultuous rollercoaster of a year full of drama and real highs and some very real lows. Here are some pictures of my year which may give some idea how eventful it has been.

At Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Stirley Farm where we'd managed to get solar panels on the building before the Govt cut funding support through the Feed In Tariff.

Out delivering information to residents affected by the development allocations in the Kirklees Local Plan

With Green Party Health Campaigner Jenny Shepherd at a chaotic meeting of the Clinical Commissioning Group proposing to close Huddersfield A&E among a range of proposals

At Suma Wholefoods in Elland with Karen Allison. A Workers Cooperative selling organic produce. Does it get any better?

Speaking at the first Hands off HRI Rally in St Georges Square

Cllr Karen Allison helping get out info about Growing Newsome's Potato Day in the snow. Yes we work all the year round!

A Spring Clean of Newsome Skateboard Park with Debby Plummer and Cllr Julie Stewart-Turner

 A spring clean of some particularly dirty village signs in Newsome and Berry Brow

Election campaigning was a bit tough this time!

The Local Election went well. I had an overall majority with 51% of the vote.

During the EU Referendum I delivered both Green Party and Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) Leaflets

I stood for Green Party Deputy Leader this year and was the runner up behind Amelia Womack. I was heaertened by the support I got from across the Green Party.

I attended the protests in Northallerton when the Fracking Planning Applications were being decided for Kirby Misperton. I tried to get the Police to grapple with me for the photo but they were having none of it.

The abandoned Hunters Waste site catches fire. The smoke and stench were awful

I proposed a successful Green Party motion opposing Fracking at our Conference in Birmingham

Our consultation drop in about traffic calming proposals on Jackroyd Lane and High Lane got a good response. It was held at Newsome Village Hall.

I came across Sam Hunter of Hunters Waste Group when I spoke to him about a fence damaged by his company. He wasn't very pleasant then and not during hs court appearance either!

The Kirklees Local Plan was a big focus for us this year with some tough lobbying to get the best deal for the Newsome Ward. We had some success.

The fun stuff! Great to be able to help out and support Monrealm Tenants on their 5th Annual Halloween Childrens Party. Complete mayhem at times but great fun.

Getting the good news out to the people of Taylor Hill Road. Their back gardens will not be allocated for development in the Kirklees Local Plan.

With Karen Allison at the Huddersfield Food and Drink Festival

I attended the COP22 Climate Summit in Marrakech, Morocco. Possibly my one and only trip to Africa. I loved the fact that I was registered for the wrong country. I'm Irish! No Brexit for me!

November brought the tragic news that Newsome Mill had been subject to a suspected arson attack. A busy morning liaising between the emergency services and displaced local residents. How the community came together in that crisis was truly uplifting.

The clean up of Hunters Waste Site begins as the mountain of waste left by the Rogue Company starts to get shifted.

Speaking to Look North about Newsome Mills. It was Diane Sims words "We are heartbroken but not broken" that I will remember.

The vandalism of Newsome Community Bowling Club by the new 'owner' is yet another example of a community that seems to have been under attack by malign individuals this year.

Collecting our latest batch of 7000 Green Party newspapers from Oldham. The same place where the Huddersfield Examiner is printed.

Meeting Barry Sheerman MP with Diane Sims to push action on Newsome Mills

In years to come I hope this turns out to be the beginning of one of the most successful things. I got the EU Committee of the Regions to propose developing the concept of Locally Determined Contributions and Regionally Determined Contributions to address Climate Change. Let's see where this takes us! 

In the Committee of the Regions in Brussels looking at the art and thoughts of children from Mount Pleasant School in Lockwood, Huddersfield with a focus on language and culture.

EU Committee of the Regions - EU Commission Work Programme - Locally Determined Contributions to deliver COP21 targets

At COP21 in Paris the nations of the world came together to commit to keeping global temperatures below a 2 degree increase and work towards achieving a 1.5 degree increase. At the same time they agreed targets for carbon emissions reduction at the national level these were called the  Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The problem is that the NDCs agreed fall short of what is required  to deliver the carbon savings we need to deliver a 2 degree of less rise in temperature. So we need more action to ensure we achieve the reductions in emissions necessary.

Establishing Locally Determined Contributions (LDCs) and/or Regionally Determined Contributions (RDCs) could be an important step in bridging the emissions gap. Actions at the local and regional level can make an important contribution towards reducing emissions through policies to promote public transport and electric vehicles. Planning policies to ensure higher energy performance standards in buildings or even reforestation projects. All these areas and more fall under the competencies of many Local and Regional Authorities in the EU. Working with the EU Commission through their work programme to develop the concept of LDCs and RDCs could provide the stimulus and structure needed across the EU for emission reduction plans that start from the bottom up. This would give substance to the 'Think Global and Act Local' approach needed to deliver COP21's higher aspirations.

The EU Committee of the Regions could play a key role in developing and promoting LDCs and RDCs further raising their relevance and profile among Local and Regional Decision makers. Once LDCs and RDCs are established as a reality we can use our global links through the Covenant of Mayors to spread the concept and the action needed to deliver these targets. We have the exciting prospect here of enabling the mobilisation of climate reduction action on the ground. Ambitious targets on their own are not enough LDCs and RDCs will give tangible goals for us all to work together to achieve. Please support this proposal.

EU Committee of the Regions ENVE Commission - When the word 'Ambitious' means less than the word 'Higher'

Words are important. They convey meaning, intent and in these strange days, even occasional understanding. So when one of the right wing groups on the ENVE Commission of the EU Committee of the Regions sought to change the word 'higher' to 'ambitious'  with regard to the emissions targets in the work plan for the Commission that dealt with Energy, Environment and Climate Change the alarm bells started ringing.

The word they wanted rid of was 'higher' the one they wanted to replace it with was 'ambitious' with reference to the targets agreed to address climate change at COP 21 in Paris. Currently as signatories to the Paris Climate agreement the EU (and the UK) are signed up to a 30% reduction in carbon emissions but democratically elected MEPs in the European Parliament have been calling for a 40% reduction. So another 10% at least is higher. Of course if you want to replace the word 'higher' with the word 'ambitious it rather implies that you don't want it to be higher. Ambitions vary from individual to individual and from nation state to nation state. One state may have limited ambition another much greater BUT you can't dodge the reality of the science and that says we need to be striving for much higher reductions in emissions than is indicated in the Paris Climate Agreement. Those calling for 'ambitious' targets were really seeking to protect the status quo of the existing economy. The problem is that current levels of emissions supporting our polluting economy are ecologically unteneable. We need to develop a new clean economy based on renewable energy , demand reduction and energy efficiency. That is where the real ambition lies.

I and others made the case to retain the word 'higher'. We had a vote. We were successful.

Appoint Nigel Farage as UK Ambassador to Tuvalu

When US President Elect and Climate Change denier Donald Trump suggested UKIP Leader and Climate Change denier NigelFarage as being an ideal UK ambassador to the States it got me thinking about which country I would like him to be UK Ambassador for. Tuvalu seemed the obvious choice. It is a low lying island and the words 'low' and 'lying' often come to mind when thinking of Farage and also Trump come to that. It may well be one of the first places to disappear due to climate change induced sea level rise. As the sea level rises above his green wellies Mr Farage may begin to appreciate the reality of climate change more.

I'm waiting to see if the petition passes through Parliamentary Standards.

The Clean Up at Hunters Waste Site begins

The festering heap of rubbish left by Hunters Waste Management at their former Queens Mill Rd site has started to be removed by a partnership comprising Kirklees Council, Suez Waste Services, West Yorkshire Fire Service and the Environment Agency. Legal avenues are being pursued to ensure those who were responsible for this stinking refuse mountain are held to account and made to pay for their crimes. It is a relief to finally see this issue being addressed after a difficult summer for neighbouring residents and businesses.

Gutted! - Newsome Mill Fire

 

On Thursday  morning my mobile phone started receiving messages before 6.00a.m. telling me the news that Newsome Mills was ablaze and that nearby residents had been evacuated from their homes. I saw the community rally round really quickly as St Johns Church and Newsome Scout Hut opened their doors to residents. They got the tea and coffee going and breakfast for those people who were temporarily moved from their homes. Newsome Village Store donated food for evacuated residents and the Fire Service and Police were caring and professional helping some particularly vulnerable residents who lived nearby. Kirklees Emergency Planning and Building Control were on the scene early on dealing with their responsibilities for the community and the building itself. The local response to the immediate crisis has shown the community and local services at their very best.

 

The question is what happens next. The structure of the Mills itself is severely compromised and as I write this it is expected that the Mill Building may have to be demolished. Hopefully  the iconic clock tower will remain. There have been 2 controversial Planning matters associated with the site. The private owners of Newsome Mills itself have been reluctant to develop on the site due to the costs of converting the mill which is/was a listed building. The private owners of the land at Hart Street near the Mills have sought to develop the site on a number of occasions. The fact that the land is part of the historic setting of Newsome Mills has been one of a number of reasons that  local people have opposed development there. With the suspected arson of the Newsome Mills site we will have to see what happens next.

For now we need to take stock and let the investigation into the blaze be carried out by the appropriate services. This has been a truly awful year for the people of Newsome with the Hunters Waste site going up in flames, the vandalism and burning of Newsome Community Bowling Club's buildings and now Newsome Mills itself going up in flames. If, as I expect, Newsome Mills turns out to be arson then all these fires will be the result of the actions of people who have no regard for the local community or the people who live there. Let’s hope for a better 2017.

PRESS RELEASE - COP22 - Marrakech - Greens call for an end to Fossil Fuel subsidies

Representatives from  governments from around the World  are meeting In Marrakech, Morocco this month to see how the targets that were agreed in the Paris Climate talks last year can be delivered.  Green Party Energy Spokesperson Councillor Andrew Cooper who will be attending in Marrakech has called for all fossil fuel subsidies to be phased out globally over the next 3 year to help acheive those targets. Councillor Cooper is part of the EU Committee of the Regions delegation that is representing the position of Local, Regional and Devolved Governments from across the European Union.

Councillor Cooper said "the International Monetary Fund has calculated the subsidies to the fossil fuel industry to be in the region of a  colossal $5.3 Trillion (£4.3Trillion). That is the equivalent of around £570/year for every person on the Planet.This is  a huge expense that is damaging to our environment and the health of the people of the world. Subsiding damaging fossil fuels in this way makes it even harder to acheive the targets agreed at COP21 in Paris last year."

" This huge subsidy puts into context the recent $1 Billion Low Carbon Fund offered by Big Oil and Gas companies. This fund represents a very small drop in an ocean of oil money supported by huge subsidy from Governments around the world. We should be clear that this is no where near enough to mitigate the damage their industry inflicts on out environment on a daily basis"

Cllr Cooper called for those subsidies to reinvested into positive actions that help combat climate change

"Imagine if the amount of subsidy to the fossil fuel sector was instead invested in large scale energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes to fund the transition to a low carbon economy."

"We need a quick end to all fossil fuel subsidies. Direct subsidies should be stopped. Other subsidies should be removed by imposing carbon taxes sufficient to pay for the damage caused by burning fossil fuels. The needs to avoid major economic disruption and to protect the poor mean that this cannot happen overnight but it must happen quickly and to an agreed timetable. The poor and those on low incomes should be protected against price increases and be the first to benefit from renewable technologies and energy efficiency measures i.e. solar panels and insulation measures to homes,

For this proposal to be successful we need each country to create and publish a subsidy phase out plan within 9 months for discussion at the next Climate Summit, COP23.

It is going to be interesting is to see how the UK Government representatives in Marrakech justify their current policy decisions which fly in the face of the scientific evidence. This year has seen £1 Billion in tax breaks for oil and gas companies in the North Sea, planning and financial incentives for shale gas companies, cuts in support for renewable energy and energy efficiency and the bizarre and wrong headed proposal for a third runway at Heathrow Airport. The UK Government is fast reclaiming our former title  of 'The Dirty Man of Europe'. We need to see some rapid acceptance from Prime Minister May that we need less warm words on Climate Change from her Government and more properly insulated warm homes powered by renewable energy."

We also need a commitment from fossil fuel companies to change to a more positive culture by:

·         Not funding climate denial organisations and campaigns.

·         Not lobbying governments to prolong subsidies.

·         and to positively develop their own transition plans to more socially and environmentally useful activities

Green Councillor calls for more green and less red for pedestrians at busy Southgate crossing

Green Party Councillor Andrew Cooper has called for more time for pedestrians to cross at a busy Southgate junction opposite the University of Huddersfield.

"This crossing is used by many hundreds of people each day such as students who go to the University, Sainsburys shoppers or those walking to Aspley and beyond. People using the crossing have to get across the road in 3 to 4 seconds from when the green pedestrian light comes on till it turns back to red. This is simply not enough time for many people to get across safely. If you are elderly or have poor mobility crossing this road at this junction safely is almost impossible. Additional seconds are needed for pedestrians if we are to reduce the risk of injury or even possible fatalities at this very busy junction off the roundabout."

Cllr Cooper has raised the issue with Kirklees Highways and asked for more consideration to be given to pedestrians on this busy route

The Green Party Response to the West Yorkshire Transport Strategy 2016 - 2036

Here's the final response  we gave to the West Yorkshire Transport Strategy. I was persuaded to take the following sentence out of our response as it wasn't the right tone I quite liked it though

 

"The intermediate West Yorkshire stop on the Northern Powerhouse Rail route HS3 should be located in Narnia as a fantasy project should be located in a fantasy kingdom."

 So if you're reading from West Yorkshire Combined Authority that is what you could have had!

The Green Party Response to the West Yorkshire Transport Strategy 2016 - 2036

This response to the West Yorkshire Transport Strategy represents the views of the Green Parties of West Yorkshire and has been shared and agreed with our elected representatives on Leeds, Bradford and Kirklees Councils and through consultation with Party members throughout West Yorkshire.

How strongly you agree or disagree with our proposed policies described in each of the core themes and the cross-cutting theme?

We believe a 60 year vision is needed. 20 years is too short a period to realise the sort of transformation in our transport system that is needed.

An initial observation on the consultation questions is that there are a lot of obvious ‘Motherhood and Apple Pie’ statements that we are asked to express an opinion on. This devalues the consultation exercise and could lead respondees to question its validity.

Delivering the Strategy is very dependent on road improvements with a strong emphasis on road schemes which will lead to increased capacity on Major routes. This accommodation of demand can only be temporary in nature. Delivering road improvements to local congestion hot spots is eventually and inevitably self-defeating as demand increases and diminishes the dubious benefit of the investment.

Road surfaces however desperately need improvements for all road users especially cyclists who are at most personal risk from potholed roads. The austerity budgets being imposed by central Government on local Councils is leading to a rapidly deteriorating road network

In the Consultation questionnaire it asks whether we should “Provide new roads to improve access to development sites” – This seems a very odd question and leads to a strong suspicion that it is aboutencouraging development in green belt as it assumes development will be away from existing hubs.We need to develop housing and employment around existing transport hubs and communities rather than creating new ones. We must avoid monoculture communities e.g. commuter belt towns. We also have concerns that improving orbital roads may well suck the life out of city centres

Demand reduction needs to be an aim of the Strategy. We must have policies in place that limit the necessity to have vehicles. Spatial Planning that links existing transport hubs with new development is one way of addressing demand, as is l.  Travel diaries/Travel Planning are important tools to help people adopt healthier forms of transport.  More food grown and used locally to avoid food miles is another approach.  You should also be working with local councils, developers, and bus operators to ensure that developments proposed over the next 15- 20 years in DLP’s can be serviced by public transport, cycling and walking.  The alternative is more congestion and pressure to carry out self-defeating road improvements

We strongly believe that local and community rail improvements should be prioritised over new road schemes, as should improvements to the bus network which currently carries 5 – 6 times more passengers than rail. A process of “Debeechification” should begin with greater emphasis on improving and expanding the rail network; while more road space should be dedicated to bus priority lanes.

HS2 is largely irrelevant to our local transport needs and the money would be much better spent on improving public transport infrastructure locally ie rail, light rail, tram and bus networks. We strongly oppose a masterplan for a new HS2 Yorkshire Hub Station in Leeds on that basis.

The question as to where the intermediate West Yorkshire stop on the Northern Powerhouse Rail route HS3 should be located is unfortunately irrelevant as we believe this is a fantasy project not grounded in reality.

The Consultation Questionnaire says that we should “Involve Communities in making improvements to their neighbourhoods to create safer and healthier places” – How and with what money?

Accessibility for people with disabilities should be an important part of the Strategy particularly as we move to more pedestrian friendly town centres.

We should look to banning diesel cars from all Town and City Centres – California has set a good example with a policy that we should follow – starting by announcing a ban on the worst polluting diesel vehicles/cars from Town Centres to start by 2020.

“The current duopoly of First and Arriva in West Yorkshire is uncompetitive and does not act in the interest of the public transport user.  It gives unfair advantage to the dominant operator in any sub-area and stops the development of other operations that could significantly improve services.  Effectively the market works for First and Arriva, but nobody else.  In our view anything short of the powers that Transport for London have regarding buses means the main providers of public transport in West Yorkshire will not work in the interest of its people.”

What you think we should measure to show our progress in delivering transport improvements in each of the core themes and the cross-cutting theme?

The Strategy should be set against the context of the Paris Climate Agreement. It should be an integral part of the Strategy to show how it is contributing to the carbon emissions reduction targets set in the Nationally Determined Contributions agreed in Paris last year. It is a major omission that it is not. 

The Strategy says it wants to have “The best bus system in Europe” as an aspiration. This is a very strange aspiration. Where is the best bus system in Europe? How is it determined – what about the rest of public transport? What about walking and cycling?

The automatic assumption that all growth is good is a fundamental problem with the strategy. Growth can negatively impact on quality of life through, for instance, air pollution and the knock on impact on public health. What we should measure to show progress in delivering improvements to road network are decreasing emissions in terms of Carbon/SOX/NOX/Particulates and noise reduction. 

We need a holistic cost analysis of different transport options for instance public transport V car would have added a lot of substance to the strategy. There is no such analysis in the strategy and this is a major weakness.

Another important way to measure the success of the Strategy would be by measuring modal shift from car to Public Transport and measuring the use of the Mcard for regular public transport users.

“Road deaths” are not just about traffic accidents but the premature deaths caused each year as a result of emissions and low air quality – Gloucestershire’s Speed Reduction Partnership give communities their own speed guns – This is a good example that West Yorkshire could emulate.  

We were asked to say how we should measure progress in delivering improvements to places to places to live and work? There is a well established methodology called the Happiness Index that would be well suited to this task. We should also measure progress through satisfaction surveys of commuters and general transport users using all modes of transport.

Have we missed anything you feel should be included in the strategy?

A hierarchy of users should be followed through in the Strategy starting with the pedestrian first and the private car last.

The strategy should not encourage aviation by supporting the expansion of Leeds/Bradford airport. This would be in harmony with a strategy that took a holistic approach to transportation and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Rail use for freight should be encouraged and there is an absence of serious comment on this in the strategy documentation.

We need to invest in traffic signals so vehicles can move more freely, more efficiently and in a less polluting fashion. This should be linked with Action in the ground by the Highways Agency and local Councils.

There are jobs in a ‘green approach’ to transport policies – e.g. cycle logistics firms. Showing how the transport strategy is going to support employment would be a positive addition to the strategy

The benefits of new technology should benefit us all – autonomous and connected vehicles providing “collective” solutions rather than new gadgets for an elite. We are thinking particularly of advances towards driverless cars which may become a reality during the life of this strategy.

Fleet Managers need the right policy levers to enable them to be the first movers on new vehicle technology such as electric and hybrid cars. Showing how this could be achieved in the strategy would have been helpful.

We would be happy to meet relevant officers of West Yorkshire Transport Authority to discuss our observations 

Yours sincerely

Councillor Andrew Cooper on behalf of Green Parties across West Yorkshire