Hi Andy
Vanessa suggested I contact as I am not happy about the EU survey. [see post below]

After I have ticked the box to say I don’t want CSG at all – it is not the way to go, fossil fuel should be left in the ground, we need to reduce our energy waste and pursue renewables – I am then forced to continue ticking boxes about, if it could be made safe … Blaa blaa blaa. I think its a con. I suspect the stats emerging from it will be used to say – if it’s monitored etc it’ll be ok.

Let me know what you think.

Regards, Lynne

Hi Lynne,

I do not think you have anything to worry about. After the ‘overall perception’ section it goes onto ‘main potential opportunities’. These, as far as I am concerned, are mostly ‘No Benefit’ responses, although a couple could be conceded as ‘minor benefits’ or ‘don’t knows’.

It then covers ‘potential challenges’, which are just about all ‘Major Challenges’ – although again a few could be marked as just ‘significant challenges’.

Then it has ‘addressing the challenges’, which are all ‘Very Important’

It then gives the opportunity to say whether your opposition would be diminished if all these things were dealt with – to which our answer is an emphatic ‘NO’ (for the reasons you state)
There is then a section on possible actions going forward; to which I responded ‘NO’ to except for the one ‘Develop a comprehensive and specific EU piece of legislation for unconventional fossil fuels (e.g. shale gas)’ to which I said ‘Yes’, but followed up in the Further Suggestions box with: Impose a EU ban on all unconventional fossil fuel extraction and divert all research and investment into sustainable renewable projects that we will have to rely on sooner or later – with sooner being the sane option.’

Then there is a section on ”Information needed’ – all ‘Very Important’ except the last on potential employment and tax revenues; which I marked ‘Not important at all’ which is the case if we are not going to consider doing this stuff.

Finally is the ‘red herring’ question about can unconventional fossil fuels contribute a low carbon economy – an emphatic ‘NO’ again!

It ends with ‘Are you satisfied with this survey?’ Personally, Yes I am. So long as many people like you take the trouble to go through it all and put the ‘right’ answers!

I hope this helps

Andy

It is important we get as many people and organisations to respond as possible.

It took me 10 minutes max.

How to submit your contribution
Contributions are welcome from citizens, organisations and public authorities.

If you are answering this consultation as a citizen, please click here to submit your contribution. I have done this.
http://links.causes.com/s/clH2bl?r=K8Oe

If you are answering this consultation on behalf of an organisation, please click here to submit your contribution. I will be doing this on behalf of Bridgend Green Party.
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If you are answering this consultation on behalf of a public authority, please click here to submit your contribution. I will encourage the Vale of Glamorgan to respond in particular. As we have no idea at present where Bridgend CBC stand on the issue, I will hold fire with them. They may come off the fence shortly as opposition to the Maesteg proposals gathers momentum.
http://links.causes.com/s/clH2bF?r=K8Oe

Received contributions will be published on the Internet. It is important to read the specific privacy statement attached to this consultation for information on how your personal data and contribution will be dealt with.
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We have until March 2013, so please share far and wide.

31 December 2012

The Roman God of the new year, Janus, had two faces looking opposite ways he had to look back to the past and on in to the future. Any new years message surely has to do the same so in looking forward to hopes and fears for 2013, we really have to start with 2012.

What will history remember? The Olympics, perhaps; the Greek debt crisis, maybe, although 2012 may not be the label that sits against it; the death of Lonesome George, the worlds last Pinta Island tortoise.

But what history may record for 2012 is that it was the year in which the economic ideas that have been regarded as gospel, scarcely challengeable in mainstream discussion and embedded at the heart of government, academia and business for decades, were declared failed, their capital zero. It was certainly the year in which the voices against this clearly failed model, from Occupy and UKUncut to the Transition Town movement, became even stronger and more certain.

As the British economy bumped along on a wobbly foundation of low-pay, insecure work; as the instability of the banks continued to pose a huge, unbridled threat; as the public came to recognise that multinational companies were scooping up the meagre spoils of the economy and shipping them off into tax havens; as G4S clearly demonstrated the failure of the outsourcing model built on the basis that the state carries the risks and the contractors could fail with impunity; it became clear that we need a radical change in direction.

On the global scale, as the Arctic sea ice shrank to astonishing lows, as the bounty of nature continued to shrink visibly before our eyes and food prices soared in response, as industrial farming methods continued to deplete our soils and pollute our oceans, it became even clearer that rapid change had to be made to our ways of life.

Instead of believing that we could run Britain on the basis of casino finance and outsourced services, shipping or flying in everyday essentials, leaving millions uncertain where next weeks rent or next months mortgage payment was coming from, it became clear that we must rebuild a proper, balanced low-carbon economy.

Its become clear that we need to bring food production back to Britain to restore the ring of market gardens that until recent surrounded our towns and cities, encourage allotments and city vegetable patches and fruit trees, to ensure that our green belt is protected, not buried under car-dependent sprawling suburbs. This was the year in which local food growing clearly became an essential to help feed the poorest in Britain.

Its become clear that we need resource-efficient local manufacturing, making the essentials of food, clothing, shelter that we need close to where theyre needed. Small positive steps are being made. Over the year I saw small enterprises starting to build this new model of business, from Who Made Your Pants in Southampton, to Furniture Divas in Oxford. But the barriers are many, and need to be slashed down.

And its clear that we need to reshape our energy use and energy production. First, we clearly need to get truly serious about energy conservation (including providing warm comfortable homes for everyone, built to the standards much of the rest of Europe takes for granted). Second, we need to move towards a decentralised, community-owned, flexible and resilient energy production system on- and off-shore wind, solar, small hydro, anaerobic digestion, waste biofuel, tidal. Third, we need to provide a decent, affordable public transport system and look at ways we can reshape our economy to eliminate long, miserable, pointless commutes.

All of these changes need to be built on a very different business model not giant multinational companies emptying out our high streets, importing low-quality, non-durable goods made in dreadful sweatshops, wasting vast amounts of our limited resources. Instead we need strong localised economies, built around small businesses and cooperatives, with decently paid staff offered jobs on which they can build a life.

If I had a magic wand, I would wave it and say, lets deliver that by the end of 2013. Of course I dont, and the changes will take more than a year, more than a decade. But my wish for 2013 is that we can identify it as the year in which Britain made serious strides towards a new economic model, a new direction.

Lets start with a crackdown on multinational companies make them abandon the use of tax havens and pay fair taxes (as their small business competitors must) and ensure that they pay all of their staff a living wage and offer stable conditions ending zero-hours contracts and anti-social, exploitative shift patterns. And go on with a serious legislative effort to end the risks of the banks again costing us hundreds of billions separate the high street banks from their gambling investment cousins, install a financial transactions tax, work to promote local banks and credit unions, and insure an effective green investment bank can provide the funds we need for essential work.

Lets move on to an Energy Bill that puts conservation at the heart of energy policy, that encourages small-scale renewables under community ownership. Add in the renationalisation of the railways as a start towards a sensible, integrated transport strategy, while abandoning the costly, inefficient HS2 plan.

Then lets act on the NHS protect our cost-effective, efficient, fair system keep it publicly owned and publicly run where it is now, and bring back in house as soon as possible the outsourcing to inappropriate profit-driven multinationals. After that, start spreading out to public services. Having made the minimum wage a living wage, and ensure decent conditions for workers, any efficiency, cost-effective claims for outsourcing across the public sector will disappear. As contracts expire, workers can be brought back in house democratic accountability restored and money put into essential services now cut back.

Then we can deal with poverty starting with pensioners. People whove contributed all of their lives shouldnt be living in poverty. Lets bring in a basic £170/week pension that would immediately lift all pensioners out of poverty. And a minimum wage being a living wage would help many workers, while the abolition of the dreadful Atos fitness to work scheme GPs understand the health of their patients and their needs best would take great stress off the ill and the disabled.

Then housing theres 300,000 empty private sector homes to be brought back into use, and 37,000 council homes; wed need a decent regional development policy to help with that. Much simpler lets give the growing army of private tenants greater security of tenure, enforce decent housing standards on their landlords, and encourage a new generation of housing co-ops in which people can work through their own housing needs.

Then some quick and sensible measures abolish Trident nuclear weapons, immediately bring home British troops from Afghanistan make us leaders in peace, and save some significant cash along the way.

Theres much more Id like to add in the abolition of university tuition fees, the restoration of an EMA-type system, but thats enough to be going along with for one year.

Of course, theres no sign of this Coalition government heading in any of these directions, of understanding that the convictions to which they continue to cling are now mere intellectual driftwood, heading fast towards a smashing reef.

But Janus was the god of beginnings and transitions, and we can turn to that image as January begins and hope for change, plan for change, campaign for change. Thats what increasing numbers of British people have been doing over 2012, and more will join them in 2013. I look forward to working with the many, the 99%, who are increasingly prepared to take on the 1% and their representatives.

In recent surveys over 80% of people support 20 mph limits without humps for residential roads, including 72% of motorists. 30 mph is just too high and dangerous in the streets where vulnerable road users are at greatest risk. We have undertaken surveys in Bettws that bears out these figures (82% support) and have 123 names on a petition (and unfortunately lost a sheet with at least another 20 names).

The 20s Plenty for Us Campaign is for residential streets with most A, B and arterial roads remaining at current limits. As almost every home, office or school is within 1/3 mile of an arterial road then the maximum change in journey time is under 40 seconds.

Many authorities are using Department of Transport guidance which encourages lower speeds to be set without physical calming. With education, consultation, social pressure and light touch enforcement, authorities such as Portsmouth have implemented a council wide default 20 mph limit for residential roads without any physical calming at all. Oxford and Bristol have followed suit. Over 8 million people live in authorities committed to Total 20 mph limits for residential roads. 20’s Plenty is a universal aspiration for communities, constituents and politicians not a party political one.

20s Plenty saves lives. Portsmouth had a 22% reduction in total casualties at year twos evaluation. A recent PACTS (Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety) report found that child casualties fell by 67% where 20 mph schemes were introduced. 20 mph limits are recommended by NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) and the Association for Directors of Public Health.

I do hope that Bettws people can rely upon their elected representative to support and promote this excellent policy. It has all the following benefits:

• Save lives and injury
• Encourages walking and cycling leading to healthier children and adults.
• Lower congestion and pollution
• Less noise
• Create a better environment on residential roads
• Reduces health inequality between rich and poor in their life expectancy.

Most people involved in transport development recognise that, at some time, 20 mph will become the default speed limit for all residential roads in the UK. Bridgend can “hang on” till such a time and in the intervening period vulnerable road users in Bridgend and Bettws will die or be injured as a result of such a delay. The sooner we adopt the 20’s Plenty initiative then the greater the saving in lives and injury and the earlier the benefits in quality of life on our streets. Bettws can be the proving ground for the whole of Bridgend County.

Bettws children and adults want and need 20 mph as a default speed limit in the roads where they live. 20’s Plenty For Us will be continuing to campaign for the early adoption of this road danger reduction and life saving policy.

I trust that our communities can count on your support for residential 20 mph limits and that Bridgend will be a “can do” authority in taking this sensible step improve our quality of life in Bettws at the very least. The fact that you are a member of the Community Safety & Governance Overview and Scrutiny Committee makes you especially appropriate to be pushing this initiative forward.

Please let me know your thoughts. I can assist in explaining the initiative or its benefits then I would be very pleased to help. Please see www.20splentyforuk.org.uk for briefing sheets and more information on implementation, and our local campaign page: www.20splentyforbettws.moonfruit.com/#

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Andy Chyba, Gareth Harris & Delyth Miller

20’s Plenty for Bettws Co-ordinators