“Chorley Green Party fully supports the Council’s aspiration for the borough to be carbon neutral by 2030, and encourages the Council to take action and speed up the rate of progress – the Council are not acting like we are living through a climate emergency,” says co-ordinator Andy Hunter-Rossall. “It has taken two and a half years to publish a strategy, and much of the strategy consists of commitments to publish more detailed plans by 2024!”

With about a third of the borough’s carbon emissions coming from transport, and over a quarter coming from heating buildings, Hunter-Rossall also expressed concern about the lack of emphasis on these areas.

“The Council’s strategy is lacking in targets for reducing the energy consumption of our existing housing,” said Hunter-Rossall. “At a time when many are already facing a huge increase in the cost-of-living, and with energy prices likely to rise again, making our homes warm, insulated and efficient should be a top priority for the Council.”

Co-Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Carla Denyer, visited Chorley this weekend, and spoke to local members and supporters about what councils should be doing on Climate Change. She echoed Hunter-Rossall’s emphasis on transport and housing. “In Lewes, Green Councillors have begun a programme to retrofit 40,000 social homes with insulation and renewable energy installations [2],” Denyer said. “The project will train a big new retrofit workforce and build a local supply chain, using local materials and local suppliers. It’s a great example of what can be done by councils to drive climate innovation at scale.”

The Council’s Climate Change Strategy consultation is open until 25th April, and you can read the strategy and submit your response here: https://yoursay.citizenspace.com/communications/climate-change-strategy-consultation/

The post Warm, affordable homes must be a key part of Council climate strategy, say Greens appeared first on Chorley Green Party.

But we are seeing a failure of leadership on climate change at every level. Our national government has pledged to be net zero by 2050, but is allowing plans for new coal fields in Cumbria and new oil fields off the Shetlands to continue, against recommendations from the International Energy Agency.

Locally, we had large public demonstrations in September 2019, including several local schools “striking for the climate”, leading our Council to declare a climate emergency and pledging to be a net zero borough by 2030. As we approach 2 years since the Council declared this emergency – 2 years out of only a decade in which to transition our energy, our business, our homes and our land – we have yet to see an overall plan for how the Council will achieve this.

Locally and nationally, targets are not enough. We need proactive leadership and decisive action to avert the IPCC’s worst case scenarios. Andy Hunter-Rossall
Chorley Green Party

The post Letter – Local and National Government are Failing Us on Climate Change appeared first on Chorley Green Party.

Chorley Green Party have launched their local election campaign to get Councillors elected to the Borough and County Councils, and they are putting forward candidates in every ward for the upcoming May 6th local elections.

Andy Hunter-Rossall, Coordinator of Chorley Green Party, said “I’m so pleased to be part of a team of 22 Green candidates in the local elections. More and more people are joining and supporting the Green Party as they see we are active in our communities, and we stand up for the issues people care about.

“In my ward, we have been busy over the last year signposting coronavirus support, working with residents on issues like speeding and anti-social behaviour – issues that residents told us were the most important to them!”

Hunter-Rossall, who is a worker and co-owner of a large workers’ cooperative, is standing in Chorley South West, alongside local university teacher Olga Gomez-Cash, and Jane Weston, who works in a veterinary surgery.

“We want to protect our A&E, our thriving town centre and our beautiful parks and green spaces for future generations.” Hunter-Rossall continued. “We also want to prioritise support for young people, many of whom have been hit hard by the pandemic.”

The Green Party is growing fast across the UK and in the North West in particular, doubling its councillor numbers in the region at the last local elections.

The post Chorley Green Party stand a record number of candidates appeared first on Chorley Green Party.

In March 2020 Chorley Council introduced thermal weeding equipment and committed to reducing the amount of glyphosates used.

Chorley Green Party Coordinator Andy Hunter-Rossall has been checking in on progress against this commitment, and found that there is still a long way to go.

Andy reported this pavement for weeding and was shocked when he found it was sprayed with glyphosates

At a Chorley Council meeting in January, Andy challenged the Council on their use of the chemicals on residential roads, and asked what they were doing to go further than the 35% reduction managed so far.

Andy said, “Glyphosates are still being used across the borough by other bodies, including the County Council, housing associations and various other landowners and grounds maintenance contractors. Can the Council confirm that their commitment to reducing the use of glyphosates extends to promoting the use of alternatives with partners and contractors, and does the Council have any measure of the total quantities of the herbicide still being used in the borough.

The post Controversial Weed Killer Still Widely Used in Chorley appeared first on Chorley Green Party.

2020 was difficult for many of us – many people lost loved ones, many felt isolated, many lost their jobs.

Some of us have seen positives too – communities coming together to support the most vulnerable, spending more time exercising or enjoying nature, or finding time to learn new skills.

Though nothing changed at the stroke of midnight on New Years’ Eve, there is hope that the vaccines currently being rolled out will bring brighter days by Spring and 2021 may be a very different year from 2020.

At Chorley Green Party we’ve adapted and found new ways to keep going during 2020. We’ve moved our meetings and events online, we’ve managed to do some work in our communities in socially distanced ways and we’ve continued to grow in numbers, though we are looking forward to when we can be together in person again!

Wishing you all the best for 2021 from all of us at Chorley Green Party!

The post Happy New Year from Chorley Green Party appeared first on Chorley Green Party.

In spring we saw necessary products such as this sell out fast leaving them depleted providing little or no access for others. It’s vital parents have a continuous supply of the essential product and supermarkets are responsible for ensuring this.

With job losses and economic hardship growing, many parents will be unable to stockpile such items. Limiting number of purchases per customer provides a fair access to all. Supermarkets need to act quickly to ensure shelves remain stocked.

The post Greens call on supermarkets to protect against stock piling appeared first on Chorley Green Party.

A&E services were due to return to Chorley on 28th September. But a week before the planned reopening, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals announced that they had been unable to recruit the staff needed to open safely.

Local Green Party campaigner Andy Hunter-Rossall said, “This will come as a massive blow to many residents. We have been without A&E services in Chorley for 6 months. The Health Secretary told us at the start of May he was working hard to reopen the service “as soon as possible”, but more than 4 months later we appear no closer! No new timetable for reopening has been given and that is just not good enough.”

Chorley and South Ribble Hospital continues to have a 24 hour Urgent Care Centre for minor injuries and illnesses, whilst A&E services are can be accessed at the Royal Preston Hospital.

There is an ongoing campaign to restore and protect Chorley and South Ribble A&E service – you can find out more on the campaign’s Facebook page.

The post Chorley A&E Remains Closed appeared first on Chorley Green Party.

The recent pandemic has brought mental health to the forefront on a global scale. We only need to scroll through social media to see how varied the response is. Some are relishing the simpler way of life while others are in deep shock and struggling to process the events. One thing is for sure, we’re all talking about it.

Many have reported the permitted daily exercise, encouraging more time in nature, has accounted for some improvements in mental health. There are multiple proven benefits to spending time outside including the increase of vitamin D exposure along with the production of serotonin while being active.

While some have experienced an improvement in their wellbeing, The World Health Organisation (WHO) predict a huge downturn in mental health as the pandemic recedes caused by economic challenges, trauma and burnout.

Time outdoors could continue to provide a cost-effective solution after lockdown ends. Research carried out by Leeds Beckett University found that prescribing time in nature provides excellent value for money when compared with alternatives, particularly when volunteering on ecological projects. The study, conducted for the Wildlife Trust, found that 95% of people reported improvements after 6 weeks of working in nature. Calls for investment in nature programmes as treatments for mental health issues have never been more important and would support rewilding of the environment the planet so desperately needs.

by Kitty Speakman

The post Mental Health Awareness Week appeared first on Chorley Green Party.

Last November, around 800 people signed Chorley Green Party’s petition for the council to stop spraying dangerous pesticides in public spaces. Glyphosates are used by the council as a weed-killer, and have already been banned in several countries.

There is increasing evidence that they are harmful to both to wildlife and to human health, including being “potentially cancer causing”.

“The use of glyphosates is an unnecessary risk to human health and to our wildlife” said the Green Party’s Andy Hunter-Rossall. “Many councils have moved to using harmless methods for weed-control, including using heat.”

The council has now announced that it will stop using glyphotsates for most weed control, using thermal weeding equipment instead. The council will continue to use glyphosates in some circumstances, such as in “high traffic areas”.

The post Council to Stop Spraying Dangerous Chemicals appeared first on Chorley Green Party.

A developer has submitted plans to remove hedgerow lining Nell Lane. Kitty Speakman has been working to make residents aware of the destructive plans.

The plans are to provide access to a new housing development, which could be provided from other nearby residential roads.

“Nell lane is used by many locals as access to Cuerden Valley and it is teaming with wildlife.” says Kitty.

“The lane is barely wide enough for 2 cars and has no footpath so is not suitable for access to a development of 115 houses. We’ve been in touch with Chorley Borough Council to raise our concerns over the loss of habitat, safety issues and potential pollution increase in this local rural area.”

If you would like to help us protect these trees please post an objection through the council website before the 25th May. We have included a template letter which you are welcome to use.

If you’d like to help us protect these trees please post an objection through the council website –

planning.chorley.gov.uk

Application no: 20/00377/FULMAJ

Download our template objection letter below:

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