In an open letter today to David Cameron, Green Party leader, Caroline Lucas, nails on the head the current failings of what is demonstrably not ‘the greenest government ever’ and calls for extraordinary boldness to address the climate change crisis. She emphasises that addressing climate crisis and economic crisis are one and the same thing but it needs more than remarks that are short on content and commitment. It needs real ambition for our trailblazing renewables sector and championing the building of a resilient economy through investment in tackling climate change as well as addressing fuel poverty.

Her five recommendations for policies that should have been in the Prime Minister’s speech at the recent Clean Energy Ministerial conference in London are:

• Instead of saying yes to shale gas exploration, the government must declare a ban on all fracking. Serious questions remain over the impacts on groundwater pollution, health, air pollution, whilst the evidence indicates that the exploitation of shale gas is incompatible with tackling climate change. Moreover, since shale gas extraction will also divert investment away from renewables, the UK’s potential reserves must be left in the ground.

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Having submitted its official response to Shepway District Council’s Local Development Framework for Planning Core Strategy document, Shepway Green Party will this week be speaking at the consultation hearings that start on Wednesday.

The importance of the document should not be under-estimated, as it sets out the housing development plans for the area to 2026, with discussion about sites, targets, types of housing etc. Shepway Green Party believes that in its current form it is far too focused on large scale developments, lacks vision in a number of vital areas, including low cost and social housing and energy efficiency, and reflects the desires of developers rather than the needs of the community.

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