We are not a political party and are completely neutral when it comes to elections, but we do try to influence the policies that are adopted by all the parties, so we are publishing a list of policies that we would like to see implemented here.
These will also be sent to the leaders of the parties standing for election and their responses will be published in order for people to be able to compare these when making their choices. We have produced a top-ten priority list and a more extensive list of recommendations:
Birmingham Friends of the Earth – our ten-point plan for a better Birmingham
1. Plan to phase out the burning of rubbish as a fuel – make Birmingham a ‘no incineration’ city with a zero carbon waste system and clean air.
2. Create jobs by re-using or recycling waste items and working with social enterprises to help them develop locally relevant projects.
3. Street bins will have sections for recyclable items.
4. Aim to get 5% of journeys within the city made by bicycle in the next 4 years by prioritising safety on the roads through 20 mph speed limits and creating safe cycling corridors. Also, aim to massively increase the number of school journeys made by walking or cycling by resourcing “walking buses” or “bike trains”.
5. Plan a bus system for the 21st century, so people have a real alternative to the car – this would include better stops with cycle facilities, better interchange between different bus routes and bus and other modes, clear mapping of bus routes and interchanges, better frequency, dedicated lanes and smart ticketing.
6. Energy conservation should be made the major priority, especially on council-owned buildings, as it is deliverable much more quickly and the returns on investment are higher than any other measure.
7. Birmingham Energy Savers should be expanded in a way that maximises the potential for local job creation, the development of local manufacturing, training up young people and dealing with the most acute cases of fuel poverty first.
8. Local procurement should be a major part of the council’s strategy to create jobs and also drive sustainable practices amongst local companies by building in expectations on environmental standards to contracts.
9. Spaces for growing food should be an integral part of every neighbourhood and access to these spaces a right of every citizen. This should be part of local planning policy on new developments.
– Many of the the suggestions in the Places for the Future Supplementary Planning Document are excellent, so we would refer candidates to these: http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/placesforthefuture
10. Recognition of the importance of Green Infrastructure (parks, trees and green spaces) needs to be core to planning every area of the city because of the benefits it provides.
And here’s the more extensive list of recommendations:
Birmingham Friends of the Earth – Environmental Policies for Birmingham 2012
Resource Use – Zero Waste
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Plan to phase out burning of rubbish as a fuel – a ‘no incineration’ city, zero carbon waste system, clean air.
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Create jobs by re-using or recycling waste items and working with social enterprises to help them develop locally relevant projects.
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Halve household rubbish i.e. ‘residual waste’ by 2020.
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Plan for digestion or composting of all biodegradable waste.
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Move towards a fully contained waste system for recyclables and food waste, with a trial of bins instead of boxes in part of the city, including a separate food waste collection.
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Street bins to have sections for recyclable items.
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Look at different incentives for residents to encourage recycling – charity donations, competitions for best neighbourhood to win award for new facilities or discounts on public transport through smart cards.
Transport
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Safety for pedestrians and cyclists should be prioritised. There are large numbers of people who do not own or have access to cars, so it is time for their needs to be recognised by implementing 20mph speed limits on all residential roads and enforcement of a ban on pavement parking so that it is safe for people to walk there.
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Improvements to be made to the public realm in order to encourage walking to and use of local centres and high streets all over the city. These should include using shared space design, removal of pedestrian guard railings and general street ‘clutter’ (unnecessary signs, cabinets, etc).
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Aim to get 5% of journeys within the city made by bicycle in the next 4 years.
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Create safer cycling corridors through physical measures, such as blocking off streets, as “no through roads” to cars.
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Resource a ‘walking bus’ and/or ‘bike train’ to every school.
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Accept that fuel prices will only go up and there needs to be planning for the end of cheap motoring.
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Plan to use road space more efficiently by reallocating it from private motor vehicles, whose levels have been falling for 10 years.
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Plan a bus system for the 21st century, so people have a real alternative to the car – this would include better stops with cycle facilities, better interchange between different bus routes and bus and other modes, clear mapping of bus routes and interchanges, better frequency, dedicated lanes and smart ticketing.
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Re-open suburban rail stations – investigate funding for immediate start to work on Camp Hill and Sutton Park lines with connected infrastructure. Also, lobby nationally for more local train services to create a ‘Birmingham Overground’.
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Review whether new Metro lines will be good value for money.
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Develop a freight strategy to remove the need for large lorries to travel through high streets at peak times by the creation of ‘bulk break’ depots on outskirts of city.
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Make space for car clubs to park vehicles so that they are within reasonable distance from the majority of citizens in the city
Energy Efficiency and Generation
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Energy conservation should be the major priority, especially on council-owned buildings, as it is deliverable much more quickly and the returns on investment are higher than any other measure.
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Birmingham Energy Savers should be expanded in a way that maximises the potential for local job creation, the development of local manufacturing, training up young people and dealing with the most acute cases of fuel poverty first.
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Birmingham should look for ways of piloting a “smart grid” and new technology to help make more efficient use of our energy.
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Birmingham should look to develop a municipal power company and support local community energy cooperatives to regain control over local generation and sale of energy.
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Ensure new development is constructed to high standards to minimise energy use – this should be zero carbon or “passive house” as soon as possible http://www.passivhaus.org.uk/.
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Ensure that all new developments are connected to a CHP (Combined Heat and Power) system and develop a strategy to ensure that this is retrofitted where possible.
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Work with experts in local universities to develop innovation in urban energy generation and get investment into turning research into product development and manufacturing.
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Work to develop wind energy projects in suitable locations, including working together with LEP partners around Birmingham.
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Many of the the suggestions in the Places for the Future Supplementary Planning Document are excellent, so we would refer candidates to these: http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/placesforthefuture
Food
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Local procurement should be a major part of the council’s strategy to create jobs and also drive sustainable practices amongst local companies by building in expectations on environmental standards to contracts.
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There should be more recognition of local independent food retailers and restaurants and support for community initiatives.
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Recognition of the damage caused by large national/multinational retailers to local communities should be included in planning guidance.
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Spaces for growing food should be an integral part of every neighbourhood and access to these spaces a right of every citizen. This should be part of local planning policy on new developments.
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Parks should plant community orchards and plants to encourage pollinators to thrive, thereby helping food growers.
Green and Blue Infrastructure
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Recognition of the importance of Green Infrastructure needs to be core to planning every area of the city because of the benefits it provides.
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Waterways also have a vital role to play in providing places not only for leisure, but also for transport and providing a habitat for wildlife – a plan needs to be made to ensure all these are balanced and the benefits maximised.
