Okay will people remember this speech in 40 years time? no. But arguably the motion it supported could make a huge impact on our natural environment over the next 40 years.
After a number of routine matters the Council meeting got on to the motions. I proposed the Liberal Democrat motion* to act now to save our rivers.
During many housing debates, rivers have been mentioned as a barrier to building homes for our children. It is understandable given that phosphate levels in the Loddon are already way above the levels the EU want. The problem is there is little we can do about population growth, people are living longer. The additional population needs housing, there is little we can do about that. We can of course do something about our rivers. The motion called for the Council to investigate what practices we can change and then share that with the population, calling on retailers, business, water companies etc to help us.
In another one of those rare moments when a mist of common sense lingers in the chamber (first time since bus passes and private landlords) the motion got complete support so we should see some practical ideas on how we can reduce river pollution in the coming months.
(* Plain English - a motion is a call for the Council to either do something it is not doing, stop doing something it is doing or change something it is doing. A motion can be moved by any Councillor as long as they have another to second it. If a motion get unanimous support it happens, if it gets majority support it goes to a committee, if it is defeated by a majority then things carry on as they are and whatever the motion called for is dropped)
If you want to see the speech
When residents come to a committee meeting, I listen
Rivers come up a lot
Whatever issues may be around funding, it is humanly possible to build a new road, new roundabout, upgrade a junction, and extend a school.
We can’t build a new river in the same way
What is clear is our residents are passionate about our rivers.
We need to convert that passion into action
Pollution is a man made problem, it needs a man made solution.
As an example, after another meeting and another lesson from a resident about phosphate, I went on a shopping mission to buy dishwasher tablets.
Now I am a bit tight with money.
I stood for sometime staring at the offers, trying to work out which one represented the best value
when I noticed on the bottom shelf, not buy one get on free, not 50% extra free but Phosphate free. I bought them. I doubt my purchase will have an impact on the River Loddon,
but wonder what would happen if the other 60,000 or so dishwashers were fed the same tablet?
That supermarket display was dominated by Finish – between 15-30% phosphate. A similar level to supermarket brands. Fairy was more at over 30%. They’re the big brands, the top sellers. If it would make a difference and told our residents, many would switch.
In Washington it was estimated that dishwasher detergent alone accounts for 10 to 12 percent of the phosphorus entering wastewater plants.
Would our supermarkets to display information notices? lets ask.
If the population increases 10% whilst we are all reducing our pollution by 10%, the River Loddon is no worse off. As a Council we can and should aim to do even more.
It is not just what we put into our rivers of course, it is what we take out.
Water meters are coming, like it or not, they do make a difference.
I am on one already. As I say I am a bit tight with money. My small children know, if your naughty you may lose your pocket money. Waste water and I’ll cancel Christmas
The Council, working with the water companies could do so much more. could we have a planning condition to fit dual flush toilets to every new residential or commercial premises.
Could they be retro fitted to existing homes with a subsidy? The government have a green investment bank – could we offer loans to fit more water efficient toilets, repaid by the savings on water bills? – we could call it a river bank.
Could water butts be subsidized?
It make come as a surprise to the administration, that the new homes bonus is supposed to be for tackling infrastructure deficits, not for opening another reserve account.
Our Rivers are a critical and irreplaceable part of our infrastructure.
If we all reduce our water use by 10%, a 10% increase in population will have no impact on our rivers. As a Council we should aim to do even more.
This motion does not call for a policy to be written or a panel to report back in 2026. Policies won’t save our rivers, collective action will
And that is why I ask this Council to give it’s collective support to this motion.
0 comments:
Post a Comment