Trafford Green Party

We are very pleased to see an emerging Sustainability Strategy for Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council. There are some commendable ideas contained in the draft strategy, especially the planned partnership with Action for Sustainable Living and the production of biomass for warming our leisure centres. However, we feel that the strategy needs to be much more ambitious and include appropriate targets. We should cut CO2 emissions by an extra 9% every year (that’s gives us a reduction of 25% instead of 15% by 2011 and cuts of nearly 90% by 2030).

Whilst we have answered the consultation questions below there are other areas we would like the strategy to include

As a member of AGMA, the Council should protect our environment by committing itself to speak out against any expansion of Manchester Airport.
The Council should develop a ‘Food Strategy’ that re-localises food supplies, starting with the Council and schools, but also making it easier for everybody to grow their own or buy local through allotments, farmers’ markets and other projects.
Planning regulations should be used to ensure that ALL new building in Trafford surpasses the BREEAM’s ‘Excellent’ standard.

We would also like to comment on the plans to employ ‘Action Sustainability’ on p 31. EMAS is a recognised and respected standard with clear objectives and processes. We feel it would be better for the Council to follow this route rather than engage in a one-off consultancy as this would mean an on-going commitment to look consistently and comprehensively across the Authority at ALL of the ways in which improvements could be made to environmental performance. Having set the example, leading Trafford businesses and suppliers of services to the Council could be encouraged to go for their own accreditation.

While the consultation document acknowledges the vital role local residents play in achieving sustainability, it fails to suggest structures which will actually facilitate engagement at a local level. Liaison with established residents and tenants associations offers one route, as would the development of specific sustainability-focused community structures (‘Sustainability Watch’ schemes modelled on the Neighbourhood Watch format) with council support for local co-ordinators in the form of advice, training and information resources. Action for Sustainable Living could lead on this.

All other partners in delivering services – Police, Fire Service, Hospitals, Schools, Trafford Housing Trust…

Short-term cash costs must be considered in the wider context of the many and varied costs associated with unsustainable practices. Such costs should include the longer-term financial implications of today’s decisions (for example, offsetting the costs of insulating Council buildings against several years’ of future savings in heating bills) but also the human and environmental costs of ignoring our responsibilities to future generations for the sake of saving a few pounds today.

Obviously the council has an obligation to obtain best value from public funds, but it should focus on

The power of sustainable practices to save resources in the medium to long term.
The need to create and maintain a competitive market for sustainable products through well-informed purchasing.

The issue of sustainability to cost is absolutely central. To avoid unacceptable future costs long-term sustainability must come first and we need to concentrate on saving resources to counter any additional cost. Therefore prioritising energy conservation measures allows us to increase not reduce our purchase of electricity from genuine renewable sources.

What additional tools or initiatives could the council use to encourage recycling in the borough ?

A sustainable waste management strategy needs to include waste minimisation and re-use as well as recycling. Tools that could help include ‘waste minimisation clubs’ and ‘waste exchanges’ for business, together with local community ‘swap-shops’ operating along similar lines to the online ’freecycle’ networks.

The Council should support the market for recyclate and compost wherever possible. Firstly, through its own procurement and then by encouraging partners to do likewise. Secondly, where involved in regeneration and business development, industry that involves processing of recyclate should be favoured.

Seventy percent of household waste should be collected for recycling or composting by 2015. To achieve this, doorstep collection facilities need to be wide ranging, easy to use and tailored to need (for example a green bin shared between several terraces if gardens are small). Business waste must be handled in a similar fashion and bins for non-recyclables should be kept small in both domestic and commercial settings.

Once good facilities are in place the council should follow up those who don’t use them with help and advice. When community knowledge and engagement reaches a generally high level, individuals refusing to participate should be targeted with more prescriptive measures such as financial penalties.

Regular feedback should be given to residents and businesses, celebrating successes such as targets reached, prizes or extra funding gained; promoting the need to stretch targets year on year and taking time to regularly say thank you.

Composting facilities should be localised and compost sold back to householders.

In what other ways can the council help local businesses to achieve sustainability ?

The Council should build planning preferences for ‘green’ businesses in to Local Development Framework Documents. This should cover both what they do (for example making/fitting solar hot water panels, processing new packaging from recyclate, etc.) and their level of environmental accreditation.

Rates should be reduced for on-site power generation and other sustainable developments.

Recycling and composting facilities should include businesses as well as households.

Training sessions on Environmental Management Systems and accreditation schemes should be provided.
Are there any other ways in which the council can help householders and tenants in the borough to achieve a sustainable lifestyle?

Even if all new buildings conform to the BREEAM ‘Excellence’ standard the vast majority of energy used across the borough will be in existing buildings and, as such, a strong commitment needs to be made to encourage as much micro-generation and energy conservation in existing buildings as possible.

A free insulation programme should be rolled out to upgrade the Borough’s housing. The Council should map what needs doing over the next 5 years. Currently subsidised insulation is offered but this may not be sufficient and capital should be put into a programme concentrating on the more deprived areas. Trafford Housing Trust is an obvious partner here.

Installation of household renewable energy projects should be supported with a Council tax rebate. More publicity about what can be done is needed.

Something along the lines of ‘Sustainable Watch’ (see ‘Residents’ under ‘Partners’) should be set up at street level, perhaps through AfSL.

Run-off from hard surfaced parking areas can cause flooding problems in heavy rain. The Council should consider taking a stand against the creation of new hard-standing areas in residential properties to minimise potential run-off problems in the future.

What other ways can the council tackle carbon emissions from transport and road congestion in the borough ?

The Council should support the Congestion Charge to fund investment in public transport and deter individual car use.

The speed limit should be reduced to 20mph on all residential roads and pedestrians should be prioritised.

The Council should investigate ways of reducing the cost of public transport, for example subsidising family bus tickets.

A demand management approach should be adopted with regard to parking - increasing charges immediately and progressively reducing the number of spaces provided over time. The money raised should be used to fund extra facilities for walking and cycling, for example, pedestrian crossings and additional cycle parking.

Various initiatives should be developed that encourage cycling for local journeys, for example,

Free cycle training (in both use and maintenance) should be provided for adults as well as school children.
Levels of cycle parking and storage facilities on new developments should be raised (so that it’s as important as car-parking space when planning applications are discussed!)
A free cycle loan scheme should be piloted for residents or, for families, a cycle and trailer loan. This could be over a short period (a week or fortnight) to facilitate changing habits.
Pushchairs should be provided for those who have cycled to town with babies or toddlers at mobility sites in town centres.