News

At Reading FoE’s ‘local transport issues and options’ meeting last week it was suggested we should try to make local transport an issue in the May 3rd local elections.
 
This sort of initiative might be better coming from GREN rather than Reading FoE, and it may be good to raise issues other than transport, although need to keep some focus to be effective ... certainly want to avoid duplication of effort and to get wide participation.

• One idea was to draft a short list of questions to put to candidates(?) or voters (?) – collate responses and then publicise their answers via media. Manchester FoE did a candidate survey last year – see link below – and say that they wouldn’t ask so many questions if they did it again!
•  Another possibility is to draft questions on environmental issues, and publicise them via usual channels and media, asking supporters to put them to candidates at all opportunities ... and to write to papers etc. ourselves saying ‘this is what candidates need to tell voters’ ... and not bother about trying to collate responses.

Aim not necessarily to influence who is elected but to get politicians thinking, perhaps to change their minds, and get publicity.
 
Difficulty with collating responses to questions for candidates is to get a large enough response to make it of interest to media, and to impress candidates.
 
Also difficult to phrase questions to get useful answers .
 
Possible topic areas for questions:

• Transport: highlight high levels and costs of congestion ... what can be done to reduce traffic in town very soon?
• Air Quality: seek support for Low Emission Zone to be introduced soon.
• Plastics are a current issue – one suggested question is to seek support for a Plastics Pledge such as https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QxiVZOZglBKLdu4Jiv4fECrii885dS8zpa57fhvHcp4/edit
• Pollinator Plan for local authority
• Reading: progress with review and update of Biodiversity Action Plan 2005-2015
• Wokingham: progress with review and update of Sustainable Environment Strategy Action Plan 2010 - 2013

Comments please!

The Government is now considering applications for shooting badgers in Oxfordshire and Berkshire, although new evidence shows that many badgers in these areas do not have bovine TB.

See response from Wildlife Trust on the link - and listen to interview with Julia Lofthouse of BBOWT and David Ilsley of NFU on 8th March on Radio Berkshire at 08:28.