Monday, 24 February 2014
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Andrew Cooper - Budget Speech to Kirklees Council 19/2/14
If we really want an alternative to the proposals of the Labour
Led Administration then the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have to stop
playing posture politics and work with other parties such as ourselves on the Council.
As the smallest group on the Council we have managed to get
some concessions on parking permits and allotment charges for people on the lowest
incomes. Without cooperation from other opposition groups we cannot do more.
At no point during the whole budget process did I get a
single approach from the Conservatives about how we may tackle the budget
challenges. I have tried in the past with the Conservatives but they made
themselves unavailable as they had already made a 2 year deal to allow Mehboob
Khan to become Leader of the Council in return for additional Committee Chairs
and the allowances which go with them. I
did get a late eleventh hour phone call from Kath Pinnock from the Lib Dems
which appeared to be more a fishing expedition for information rather than any plan
for an alternative approach to the budget.
The Conservative and Lib Dem Groups need to accept
responsibility for the position the Council is in. After all it is your government
that is stripping £129million out of local budgets. You make matters worse by putting amendments in
which make it harder to balance the Councils budget. Putting an additional
£1m to £2million onto the revenue budget might enable you to make meaningless promises in a
leaflet to fool somebody into voting for you but you are not being straight
with people or telling them the whole story.
What we are pleased about is the commitment to use Housing
Revenue Account reserves to install solar panels into the homes of up to 2000
council homes. This will come at no cost to the Council Tax Payer. It will
however save the average householder money off their electricity
bill and this money will put up to £400’000 back into the local economy and not
into the profits of the Big Six Energy companies.
What comes next is the real challenge. Who would really want
the responsibility of running Kirklees knowing what is to come? The reduction
in services for local people still paying the same amount of Council Tax and
the hundreds of staff redundancies that are to come with the impact on their
families.
Our Group is keen to find ways to save local facilities such
as Libraries, to have more devolved decision making over what remaining funding
is available locally and to engage WITH communities and NOT retreat from them.
We do not want to take the cynical easy path of politicians who are willing to
comment but unwilling to help, willing to posture but unwilling to participate.
We urgently need more goodwill and more communication on the
Council between the political groups recognising that the financial cliff edge
that is coming. If we do not, we let
down the people who elected us, the people Kirklees employees and the communities that we represent.
Tuesday, 4 February 2014
Letter sent to all Yorkshire and Humber MEPs on Fracking
Dear Yorkshire and Humber MEP,
Amendment 27 on 2030 Framework for climate and energy targets
On the debate regarding the 2030 framework for climate and energy
targets please could you support (Amendment n°27) directly related to shale gas
which states
“On the basis of the precautionary principle and taking into account the risks and the negative climate, environmental and health impacts involved in unconventional hydrocarbon exploration and extraction (e.g. of shale gas), and the gaps identified in the EU regulatory regime for such activities which the Commission has yielded to pressure not to regulate on, urges local and regional authorities not to authorise any unconventional hydrocarbon exploration or extraction operations in the EU, and urges Member States to refrain from preventing such decisions”
“On the basis of the precautionary principle and taking into account the risks and the negative climate, environmental and health impacts involved in unconventional hydrocarbon exploration and extraction (e.g. of shale gas), and the gaps identified in the EU regulatory regime for such activities which the Commission has yielded to pressure not to regulate on, urges local and regional authorities not to authorise any unconventional hydrocarbon exploration or extraction operations in the EU, and urges Member States to refrain from preventing such decisions”
This is consistent with the motion approved at Kirklees Council in
January which stated:-
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To consider the following Motion in the names of
Councillors Cooper and Stewart-Turner.
'That this Council: (a) Notes the enthusiasm of the Coalition Government for developing hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the UK; (b) Notes the recent mass protests against shale gas drilling in both Lancashire and West Sussex; (c) Notes the controversy about both the supposed benefits of extracting on-shore gas resources and the local environmental impacts; (d) Notes the recent evidence that 60-80% of world fossil fuel reserves need to be left in the ground if average global temperature rise is to remain within 2 degrees; (e) Believes that there is also compelling evidence that UK shale gas and coal bed methane would form part of that 60-80%; (f) Notes that the large amounts of water needed for hydraulic fracturing to extract shale gas (known as fracking) would reduce water supplies in this region, which are also threatened by the impact of climate change; (g) Notes the well-documented risk of groundwater contamination as a result of fracking, which would exacerbate the pressure on water supplies and put residents at risk; (h) Notes the unavoidable increase in noise, visual intrusion and air pollution from heavy traffic in communities close to fracking sites; (i) Therefore calls on Kirklees Council to develop a Council policy on shale gas and coal bed methane extraction; (j) Will seek to attract to Kirklees appropriate funding for projects which increase energy efficiency, sustainability and self-sufficiency, stabilise energy bills, and create jobs in the green economy; and (k) Directs officers to send a copy of this motion to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and the Minister of State for the Department for Energy and Climate Change.' |
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Decision: |
Motion carried.
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Yours sincerely
Councillor Andrew Cooper
Saturday, 1 February 2014
PRESS RELEASE - Greens call for solar panels to 2000 Council homes
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| Cllr Andrew Cooper discussing the 2000 house solar programme with Green Party Baroness Jenny Jones |
Councillor Andrew Cooper, Leader of the Greens on Kirklees Council said,
"The proposal we are putting forward would have no impact on the Council Tax. We are proposing that the solar panels would be installed using Housing Revenue Account reserves These are ringfenced funds for Council properties which cannot be legally be used for anything other than the maintenance of Council housing"
" The capital costs of solar panels have come down significantly in recent years making this a more viable proposition. The Feed In Tarrif for solar electricity that a scheme such as this would attract will mean that the costs for the project will be completely paid back within 12 years. Council Tenants would get the benefit of the electricity off the roof. An average 2kWp solar installation would generate at least 1600 units of electricity a year the equivalent of £240 saving off the average electricity bill. For people on a low income this is a very significant saving."
"What this proposal would mean is that the Council would see a return on its investment within12 years, householders would have cheaper fuel bills and more electricity will be generated from clean renewable sources."
Green Party Peer Baroness Jenny Jones who was visiting Huddersfield to discuss the project said,
"This is a terrific idea. People around the country look to many of the initiatives coming from the GreenParty in Kirklees. What the Greens propose in Kirklees today is what other Councils will be copying tomorrow"
Peru, the 39th richest country in the world is pursuing a programme to provide solar energy for 2 million of its poorest people. The UK is the 7th richest country in the world.
http://cleantechnica.com/2013/07/15/peru-solar-power-program-to-give-electricity-to-2-million-of-poorest-peruvians/
Friday, 31 January 2014
PRESS RELEASE - HS2 REPORT: IF THE GOVERNMENT WON'T TRUST THE PUBLIC, WHY SHOULD THE PUBLIC TRUST THE GOVERNMENT? ASKS GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Andrew Cooper, 01484 667519 | 07721
348619
Green Party Energy Spokesperson, Kirklees
councillor
Yorkshire & Humber Lead Euro candidate.
A leading Yorkshire & The Humber Green Party Euro-candidate has condemned the decision by the Coalition Government to block a report that is believed to be highly critical of the planned High Speed 2 railway line which is proposed to cut a swathe through scores of communities in our region.
Cllr Andrew Cooper said,
"I am appalled that the Government has used an obscure
legality to overturn the decision of the Information Commissioner to release
this report. I am even more disturbed that the Government
Minister, Patrick McLoughlin, who announced the decision claims literally that "there is a strong public interest against (the report's) disclosure" (1) to the public. Mr McLoughlin was previously quoted arguing for its suppression because it would create "political and presentational difficulties" (2). That doesn't sound like having anything at all to do with the public interest - quite the opposite, in fact. It is being done to protect the Coalition, not the country and certainly not our County."
Minister, Patrick McLoughlin, who announced the decision claims literally that "there is a strong public interest against (the report's) disclosure" (1) to the public. Mr McLoughlin was previously quoted arguing for its suppression because it would create "political and presentational difficulties" (2). That doesn't sound like having anything at all to do with the public interest - quite the opposite, in fact. It is being done to protect the Coalition, not the country and certainly not our County."
The report was drawn up for the Major Projects Authority, which
used it to review the plans, currently costed at
over $42 billions but likely to be even more expensive if it goes ahead. Leaked
documents from the MPA late last year suggested that
the review concluded that the viability of the HS2 project was doubtful, but
the Government has steadfastly refused to release any details in spite of being
ordered to do so by the Information Commissioner. It has now invoked a rarely
used power to veto the Commissioner's instruction.
"The HS2 project is revealing just how controlling,
patronising and secretive our Government has become," said Cllr Andrew
Cooper."If they won't trust the public, how on earth is the public
supposed to trust them?"
Tuesday, 28 January 2014
Wednesday, 22 January 2014
PRESS RELEASE -Coalition fails industry, the consumer and the Environment by opposing EU Renewable Energy Target
Green Party Energy Spokesperson Councilor Andrew Cooper has condemned the Government for lobbying against a new binding Renewable Energy Target for the UK by 2030.
Today the EU Commission has confirmed that there will be no mandatory Renewable Energy target in 2030 to follow on from the legally binding 2020 Renewable Energy target.
Councillor Cooper said,
"It is hardly surprising that the Coalition Government is arguing for no 2030 Renewable Energy Target as it is one of the few countries in Europe that is currently dismally failing to achieve its 2020 target. Shamefully the UK has only got to reach 15% of total energy from renewable sources by 2020 compared with 20% across the EU. Feeble UK govt energy policies have meant for a long time that the government which promoted itself as 'the greenest government ever' were heading for failure from day one."
"The flawed argument the government has used against a mandatory EU target is that it would push up energy prices. This position lacks credibility. If you significantly invest in energy efficiency and large scale insulation measures you will achieve permanent cuts in demand, making it easier to achieve your percentage renewable energy target. This will help people reduce their energy bills and avoid fuel poverty at the same time. It is not simply just a matter of building more wind and solar farms to accommodate demand. Investment in energy efficiency gives us more choices in our energy mix and the Coalition has singularly failed to grasp this. They lack the vision, the policies and the commitment to take control of the important issues affecting the UKs Energy needs. You really have to ask yourself what the point is of the supposedly 'green' Lib Dems if this is the best we can expect from this Government"
ENDS
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