How Green is Local Labour?
DAVID EP DENNIS argues that the environmental agenda of the Labour council in Hastings is at odds with the national policies of the Labour Party … potentially to the serious detriment of local fauna and flora.
It is my firm opinion that there is a dissonance between the national Labour Party and the local Labour Party in Hastings.
Reporting on National Labour’s green policies, Helena Horton of The Guardian said: “Some had feared the party would join a race to the bottom, trying to match Sunak’s vandalism of environmental policies. But the opposite has been true; climate underpins the policies of nearly all of those who would hold the great offices of state, and is a clear thread running through Labour’s electoral strategy.”
Indeed, the National Labour Party Electoral Manifesto Green Document states: “The environment is the bedrock of our economy, our security and our wellbeing. It is not something separate from ourselves; it is the food we eat and the place we live.”
And most tellingly, they re-emphasize: “Our planned interventions must be transformational, bringing about the structural changes needed to stop continued environmental degradation. Consultation and partnership working will be an important part of our approach so that we inform and engage both the public and experts. This will ensure the most recent scientific understanding is taken into account and that our plans are effectively delivered.”
Once again covetous eyes are on Combe Valley Countryside Park, which is documented as a key green space between Hastings & St Leonards, Battle and Bexhill. The conservation document was signed by East Sussex County Council, Rother District Council and Hastings Borough Council.
In my opinion there is no trade-off between wildlife, open green recreational spaces, and the fact that many councils are suffering from brimming bankruptcy. We must fight to save our Parks and not let private commercial interests sell Labour’s purported green soul for a mess of golf driving range and astroturf pottage.
Combe Valley is a winter-flooded wildlife preserve so rich that it can take your breath away. It includes Galley Hill and the edge of the sea and contains marsh, fen, reed beds, meadows, arable fields, beef herd grazing, a river, streams, bluebell woodland and so many insects, birds, mammals and even rare spiders.
It takes one hundred thousand leaves to feed ten thousand caterpillars. They will feed one hundred blue tits and it takes those one hundred small birds to feed one raptor. So to show how intact the food chain is in Combe Valley we have the following raptors: buzzards, marsh harriers, merlin, hobby, kestrel, sparrowhawk and barn owl, and even visits by red kites. There are also thirty miles of footpaths and trails enabling everyone who lives in our coastal towns to enjoy these great green spaces. Don’t mess it up!
We cannot let any part of this great shared asset be sold off to commercial concerns. So keep a lookout for activities that show that Local Labour is not following National Labour policy – and don’t let Combe Valley Countryside Park be the endless first port of call for dumping dodgy schemes to make money. Citizens of Hastings and Bexhill – Be alert!
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