|
|
From the Newsletter- April 2005 |
Politicians under the Spotlight
who will get your vote?
VOTE
PICKWICK SCROOGE PECKSNIFF
Assuming that the General Election will take place on May5th and parties will publish their manifestos early in April. Members may therefore find useful some questions on issues on which the Society has been active; planning, urban design, transport, environment, sustainability, global warming, increasing levels of carbon dioxide and the environmental impact of house building.
Ask the candidates their intentions - here are some ideas:
Q1. What is government policy on taxing aircraft fuel?
Q2. What action is proposed to reduce the production of CO2 from house building and vehicle exhausts, which together produce 60% of the CO2 in Britain?
Q3. What will be the impact on Bristol and other urban areas of the current plans to widen Motorways and some roads?
Q4. What proposals does the Government have to reduce the adverse environmental impact, particularly production of CO2, of their policies, on car ownership and use, cleaner vehicle fuel, development policies? (Housebuilding in Q 1)
Q5. Should parking charges in the centre of Bristol and other towns in the Greater Bristol Area be increased?
Q6. Does the City Council propose to introduce these in Bristol? If not, what other plans do they have for reducing the use of cars?
Q7. What proposals does the Government have to enable local authorities to ensure that private bus companies operate the services Bristol requires, uses the quality buses required and operate the routes Bristol needs?
Q8. What is the official definition of ‘sustainability’? How does the government ensure that it applies to all their policies and those of local authorities?
Q9. What is the government definition of community and how many communities are there in Bristol?
Q10. Where is the line between the authority of the elected Bristol Council and that of the community or partnership organisations in Bristol, appointed by the Council?
Q11. Local Authorities must produce Community Strategies for which four subjects are specified of which the environment and sustainable development are two. Has the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister(ODPM) shown how to balance these two subjects against the other two subjects, economic development and social issues?
Q12. Has the ODPM produced any guidance on assessing the environmental damage arising from its huge house building policy? If not should its production be a matter of urgency?
Q13. Does the ODPM have any policy for reducing the production of CO2 from its development programme?
Q14. Can the City Council tell us whether they are applying their Land use Questionaire, indicate the areas in which it is being used and what are future plans for using it?
Tony Howell
Transport Group
Back to Previous Newsletters