Over the past few weeks we’ve been emailing all Birmingham parliamentary candidates to get their views on a number of important environmental issues. We asked candidates how much they agreed or disagreed with 9 key environmental questions. The survey questions were as follows
- The UK government should ensure there is an ongoing commitment to maintaining feed-in tariffs.
- I support and will vote for a complete moratorium on fracking.
- I support every school in the UK being able to run on solar power within the next 3 years, by freeing them to invest in solar and by removing barriers to the installation process.
- The £30 billion currently earmarked for road improvements should be reallocated to fund improvements in local sustainable transport such as local rail, buses, and active travel.
- I will vote against TTIP if the trade deal comes before Parliament.
- The Government should ensure the UK is on track to meet its commitments to reverse nature’s decline by 2020.
- The Government should introduce a national investment plan for rapid restoration of nature and our natural environment in the UK.
- The 2014 UK National Pollinator Strategy should be updated and extended with renewed action for bees and other pollinators by farmers, land owners, businesses and communities.
- The temporary restriction on use of particular neonicotinoid pesticides should be extended (to allow proper research into alternative ways to protect and produce crops in ways that are proven not to harm bees).
We contacted 55 parliamentary candidates and received 16 responses. Here are the number of responses by party.
| Party |
Number emailed |
Number of responses |
Percentage who responded |
| Conservative |
10 |
0 |
0% |
| Green |
10 |
8 |
80% |
| Labour |
10 |
1 |
10% |
| Liberal Democrat |
10 |
2 |
20% |
| Respect |
2 |
2 |
100% |
| Trade Union & Socialist Coalition |
3 |
2 |
66% |
| UKIP |
10 |
1 |
10% |
We’ve scored each candidate according to how much they agreed with the above survey questions. -2 for each strong disagreement, -1 for each disagreement, 0 for neither agreeing nor disagreeing, 1 for each agreement and 2 for each strong agreement. You can see the results by constituency below:
Edgbaston
Erdington
Hall Green
Hodge Hill
Ladywood
Northfield
Perry Barr
Selly Oak
Sutton Coldfield
Yardley
Edgbaston
| Party |
Green |
Liberal Democrat |
|
| Candidate |
Phil Simpson |
Lee Dargue |
|
| Points |
18 |
10 |
|
| Q1 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
|
| Q2 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
|
| Q3 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
|
| Q4 |
Strongly Agree |
Disagree |
|
| Q5 |
Strongly Agree |
Disagree |
|
| Q6 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
|
| Q7 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
|
| Q8 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
|
| Q9 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
|
| Comments |
|
Q5 TTIP is being VASTLY misreprenseted, we need to all have a rational debate. Q4 – I wouldnt completely stop road improvements, they have enviro impact too if in poor state, but we need a better balance (my party is only one with a Cycling policy, for example. |
|
Erdington
| Party |
Green |
Trade Unionist andSocialist Coalition |
UKIP |
| Candidate |
Joe Belcher |
Ted Woodley |
Andrew Garcarz |
| Points |
17 |
13 |
3 |
| Q1 |
Agree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
Disagree |
| Q2 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Disagree |
| Q3 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
| Q4 |
Strongly Agree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
| Q5 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
| Q6 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
| Q7 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
| Q8 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
| Q9 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
| Comments |
|
|
I’m not too sure what is meant by ‘natures decline in question 6. What is the problem and where is the evidence? |
Hall Green
| Party |
Respect Party |
Labour |
|
| Candidate |
Shiraz Peer |
Roger Godsiff |
|
| Points |
15 |
13 |
|
| Q1 |
Agree |
Agree |
|
| Q2 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
|
| Q3 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
|
| Q4 |
Agree |
Strongly Agree |
|
| Q5 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
|
| Q6 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
|
| Q7 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
|
| Q8 |
Agree |
Agree |
|
| Q9 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
|
| Comments |
|
|
|
Hodge Hill
| Party |
Green |
|
|
| Candidate |
Chris Nash |
|
|
| Points |
18 |
|
|
| Q1 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q2 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q3 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q4 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q5 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q6 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q7 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q8 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q9 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Comments |
|
|
|
Ladywood
| Party |
Green |
|
|
| Candidate |
Margaret Okole |
|
|
| Points |
18 |
|
|
| Q1 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q2 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q3 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q4 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q5 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q6 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q7 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q8 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q9 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Comments |
|
|
|
Northfield
| Party |
Green |
|
|
| Candidate |
Anna Masters |
|
|
| Points |
18 |
|
|
| Q1 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q2 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q3 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q4 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q5 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q6 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q7 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q8 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q9 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Comments |
|
|
|
Perry Barr
| Party |
Green |
|
|
| Candidate |
James Lovatt |
|
|
| Points |
15 |
|
|
| Q1 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q2 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q3 |
Agree |
|
|
| Q4 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q5 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q6 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q7 |
Agree |
|
|
| Q8 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Q9 |
Strongly Agree |
|
|
| Comments |
|
|
|
Selly Oak
| Party |
Green |
Liberal Democrats |
|
| Candidate |
Thomas Clare |
Colin Green |
|
| Points |
13 |
5 |
|
| Q1 |
Agree |
Agree |
|
| Q2 |
Strongly Agree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
|
| Q3 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
|
| Q4 |
Agree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
|
| Q5 |
Strongly Agree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
|
| Q6 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
|
| Q7 |
Agree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
|
| Q8 |
Agree |
Agree |
|
| Q9 |
Agree |
Agree |
|
| Comments |
|
|
|
Sutton Coldfield
| Party |
Green |
|
|
| Candidate |
|
|
|
| Points |
|
|
|
| Q1 |
|
|
|
| Q2 |
|
|
|
| Q3 |
|
|
|
| Q4 |
|
|
|
| Q5 |
|
|
|
| Q6 |
|
|
|
| Q7 |
|
|
|
| Q8 |
|
|
|
| Q9 |
|
|
|
| Comments |
|
|
|
Yardley
| Party |
Green |
Trade Unionist andSocialist Coalition |
Respect |
| Candidate |
Grant Bishop |
Eamonn Flynn |
Teval Stephens |
| Points |
18 |
12 |
11 |
| Q1 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
| Q2 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
| Q3 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
Strongly Agree |
| Q4 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
Disagree |
| Q5 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
| Q6 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
Agree |
| Q7 |
Strongly Agree |
Neither Agree nor Disagree |
Agree |
| Q8 |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
Agree |
| Q9 |
Strongly Agree |
Strongly Agree |
Agree |
| Comments |
|
Also support a Workers wage |
£30 billion should still be spent on roads and further investment should be found for sustainable transport. |
