Climate change and the environment

Climate change is a major threat to our planet - and urgent action is needed locally and internationally.

My "maiden speech" as a councillor in 2006 was to move a motion on: Enabling a one planet economy in Hounslow. In 2007 I participated in Climate Camp Heathrow - the only councillor to be camped there for the week. As a legal observer of police brutality that took place I welcome the work Dee Doocey AM is now doing, as a board member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, to crack down on the appalling behaviour of a minority of police officers.

ENERGY

12 months after I put a detailed paper to the Council setting out proposals for a £1m Climate Change Fund, the Council finally took notice and listened. A fund is now in place, as well as an Energy Manager to help us all drive down Hounslow’s CO2 emissions. The post holder is initially focused on Council meeting Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) targets.

Unfortunately the fund is too small (£500k + Salix funding in due course) and money has only just been allocated to an initial round of four projects.

Read more at: http://tinyurl.com/hounslowclimatechangefund

TRANSPORT

As a councillor I called for a Cycling officer post to be introduced. Here I was unsuccessful, but the then Conservative-Community Group administration did appoint a ‘Sustainable transport officer’, and some of their time is dedicated to cycling improvements.

Along with local councillors, I am still trying to get action on improving A4 cycle lane after the sad death of a local resident in late 2008. We are specifically trying to get cyclists the right of way across small roads joining the A4.

FOOD

I produced an in-depth study on Sustainable Food in Hounslow in early 2007. See: http://andrewdakers.ning.com/profiles/blogs/684754:BlogPost:61

The report called for Sustainable Food officer post at Western International Market. In 2009 I was delighted that the LDA funded a post for 18 months with market traders support. Funding for this role now needs to be extended.

I also called for sustainability targets (local, seasonal, organic) in the Council’s fruit/ veg supply contract to local schools and the Civic Centre. The result was that the contract included local supply targets -- unfortunately not yet seasonal and organic targets.

I have supported the Hounslow Allotments Strategy – focusing on the need for Allotments Officer post, enabling more beekeeping in borough, use of roof space for tanked allotments, and introduction of half-size allotments. The key result to date has been the creation of an Allotments officer post.

CONSTRUCTION AND HOMES

I sat on the local area planning committee and borough’s Sustainable Development (planning) Committee from 2006-10. I quickly discovered that the ‘Sustainability Checklist’ that had been approved by the Council in 2002 had then been rarely applied on planning applications. Making the checklist and planning conditions my focus, from 2006-10 I ensured planning conditions worth many millions of green investment in the borough’s built environment have been secured.

An example is the West Middlesex Hospital site where I worked with then Cllr Caroline Andrews to secure a cycle club as part of the scheme conditions (see photo). The scheme will also introduce a biogas Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant in Spring 2010.

Since 2006 and my earliest meetings with the then Chief Executive of Hounslow Homes Chris Langstaff, I have called on Hounslow Homes to go green. The result was that in 2008 Environmental sustainability targets were integrated into Hounslow Home’s core business plan and an Environmental Advisor post was established. In 2009/10 I actively supporting a very exciting pilot retro-fit project that Hounslow Homes is pushing forward.

PARKS AND LEISURE CENTRES

Through the Council’s scrutiny process, I called for the new Parks/ leisure centre contract to include sustainability targets. The result to date is that we have seen very impressive and committed performance from Fusion. Laing however appears to still have a lot of work to do, and as far as I can tell, still do not have an environmental sustainability action plan.

PENSION FUND

In September 2009 I set out a detailed responsible investment strategy for LB Hounslow’s pension fund. Responsible ownership of the Fund’s multi-million portfolio of assets is a huge opportunity for the borough to use its influence to improve the environmental sustainability of companies. The result was that many of the recommendations were accepted by the Pension Fund Committee, with others deferred for review in 6 to 12 months.

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