Practical green ideas from City Liberal Democrats

12.19.50pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 15th Feb 2007

Lib Dems are the only practical green party at City Hall

In a letter published in the Evening News, Cllr Hereward Cooke, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Norwich City Council, suggested six practical steps the Council could take to save energy.

Referrring to a resolution passed recently by the City Council, Cllr Cooke wrote:

"The resolution said that we would reduce our energy consumption within Council properties in ever-increasing amounts towards an ultimate target of 6% pa.

But targets are never enough. The real test will be the practical steps that must be taken to change our culture and to finance the necessary investment. The Liberal Democrats at City Hall are supporting the following:

1) The appointment of an Energy Officer. The cost of this post is already in this year`s budget but only now, as a result of our prompting, has the selection process started.

2) A concerted drive within City Hall to develop a culture of saving energy and costs. For instance, PCs have to be left on at night so that fire-walls can be up-dated. This is costly.

3) A reduction in the amount of flood-lighting on city-centre buildings and on sports pitches around the City. Some of these latter lights are left on for hours even when nobody is playing on them.

4) The use of alternative fuels for vehicles. It was agreed some two years ago that electric vehicles would be used as run-abouts in the City but they never materialised.

5) Review the capital programme to see how finance can be diverted towards new ways of producing energy. For instance the roofs of car parks and City Hall itself could be used for solar panels and photo-voltaics to generate heat and power.

6) Helping the least insulated houses in the City to attract matching funding. That is where the extra £1m finance from the sale of the Bowthorpe land would have been so helpful, instead of it being diverted to improve house warmth that is already high.

These ideas must be just the tip of the fast diminishing ice-berg, but they prove that to make progress in carbon reduction, realistic ideas are a must. No wonder the Lib Dems are called the practical greens!"