At time of writing, Worcester is experiencing its second flooding of the season. We have to face the reality that we are living in a climate emergency. The city council recognised this in July 2019 thanks to a motion proposed by my fellow Green councillor in St Stephen ward, Neil Laurenson. This means that urgent action is required; much more than is currently being proposed by the Labour Government, our Labour MP, or indeed local Labour politicians running the council.
In September, a proposal came to the city council’s Policy & Resource Committee to defer the expansion of solar panels installed on St Martins Gate car park, as the business case showed only a 0.5% return on investment, based on the assumption that electricity prices would remain the same over 25 years. Even if this were true, we have declared a climate emergency, not a climate we’ll-only-act-if-it-makes-money. Labour councillors did not question this recommendation, and spoke out against a cheaper installation because it would close the top deck of the car park.
Worcester’s Labour MP Tom Collins has only spoken a single time in the Commons since he was elected in July. He did not mention flooding during that speech. Green MPs like North Herefordshire’s Ellie Chowns have pressed ministers in the Commons to review when the Flood Recovery Framework is initiated, so that residents get access to support. It would be an act of a few minutes to post advice about where flooded residents can get support on social media, yet even that seems to be too much to ask.
For any residents affected by flooding, the city council website has useful information available at: https://www.worcester.gov.uk/community-safety/accidents-emergencies-and-safety/flooding-information/flooding-support-funding
We need bold action and we need it now. Labour are not delivering it.
Alex Mace
City Councillor for St Stephen ward