Torridge Green Party has a full slate of five candidates for the County Council Elections on 6th May.
- Cathrine Simmonds will stand in Holsworthy
- Ruth Funnell will stand in Torrington
- Simon Mathers will stand in Northam
- Will Douglas-Mann will stand in Bideford East
- Keith Funnell will stand in Bideford South
Do check you are registered to vote. You can do this online. If you need a postal vote the final date to apply for one is 5.00 pm on Tuesday 20th April at the TDC Offices or online.
The more votes the Greens achieve the bigger the impact on DCC's policies. Climate change has taken a back seat with Covid but we have Cop 26 in Glasgow in November and we need to ensure our government is fully behind zero carbon well before 2050 which is far too late.
Posters: we have a stock of posters ranging from A4 to stake boards to put in your garden. If you live on a reasonably busy road, these are really valuable to remind people to vote Green. Just contact me by email and arrange to collect or have delivered. Thank you.
Phillip Dunne MP, the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, was going to present a private members bill, the Sewage (Inland Waters) Bill to make sure Water Companies stop sewage discharges into rivers, lakes and waterways in England. But with no Friday sittings to hear such bills, he has been persuaded to drop the Bill in exchange for a promise that the Government will bring in measures. We do need to hold their feet to the fire on this.
Last year raw sewage was discharged a massive 400,000 times (date from the Environment Agency). There were 403,171 incidents in 2020 an increase from 292,864 in 2019. Only 16% of our waterways meet good ecological standards and the Taw and Torridge are not among them so this is a local and a national issue.
South West Water had 42,053 raw sewage spill events lasting a total of 375,370 hours
We plan to campaign on this through the year. You can help by emailing our MP, Geoffrey Cox asking what the Government is actually doing about this and using your favourite social network to alert your friends to the issue.
Desperate to meet human beings again and chat and eat together?
We will be having a Green Gathering at Church Lane House, hopefully in late July if the Covid measures continue to be relaxed.
We also plan to hold a couple of car boots at the Old Bowling Green in Torrington in June/July selling books and advertising ourselves a little.
Look out for more details in the next Green Info
The Cycling Group on the District Council are looking at two possible bike tracks to encourage more cycling. A route through the Kenwith Vally linking Bideford to Westward Ho! and a second linking Holsworthy to Bude. Moves are already being made to ensure the Rolle Canal track stays available if the Torrington milk factory is developed and linkthe the Tarka Trail to Torrington town centre.
Wondering if solar panels are a possibility for you? NEA, the National Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency Charity is partnering with 361 Community Energy and North Devon Homes in a Solar PV advice webinar on Thursday 22nd April at 7.30 pm. Members of the Innovation and Technical Evaluation team at NEA will be discussing solar PV systems and how to maximise the benefit from them. They will describe a solar advice project the are running with social landlord partners across England and the advice materials they have produced.
There will be opportunities for those attending the advice clinic to ask questions about solar PV and related technologies. If you want to join the event go to https://www.nea.org.uk/advice/solarpv/
This is a community of farmers, consumers and professionals united by the urgent need to support holistic farming practices that do not deplete soils. The aim is to promote farmers and growers who prioritise the health of their land, animals and crops and to raise public awareness of the benefits of holistically produced food. If you want to know more or join the growing community you can add your support at wholehealthag.org.
Sunday 16th April at 4 pm on Zoom. Book the date. Zoom links will be sent to members with the agenda. The meeting lasts about one hour. Hope to see you online. You do not need a posh book shelf behind you for this one.
Ruth Funnell
Secretary of Torridge Greens
