It can make for interesting debates, engaging political theatre, but under first past the post, also in decision-making which leaves residents frustrated as they see one party push through policy firmly opposed by opposition parties and the voters they represent. Here in Brighton and Hove, for example, Labour now has 38 of 54 councillors; despite winning less than half of the votes at the last council elections; it can pretty much take the city in whatever direction it chooses. Compare that with 2019 when the Greens secured 52 per cent of votes and only 19 councillors and you can see why we need voter reform.
One thing I’d like to think politicians of every persuasion can agree on, however, is people’s fundamental right to breathe clean air. It shouldn’t be a contentious issue – much like preventing sewage from being pumped into our seas – and doing everything possible to make sure people have clean air to breathe is something there should always be cross party consensus on.
Here in Brighton and Hove, the need for action on polluted air has never been more apparent. Recent research from Friends of the Earth estimated nearly nine in every ten neighbourhoods across the city are currently exposed to dangerously high levels of air pollution. That is 89 per cent of the city breathing air which exceeds the World Health Organisation’s recommended safety limit, or around 260,000 people exposed to air which has the potential to cause damage to their long-term health. That simply cannot be good enough. The city and its people deserve better.
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The same research also found 77 schools in the city are in areas with dangerous levels of air pollution. That works out at around 44,000 children breathing in dangerous air on an almost daily basis. Surely as a city we can and should expect better for our children?
With poor air quality linked to as many as 36,000 premature deaths in the UK each year, it is a very real problem. Earlier this week my fellow Green councillors and I met with Clean Air for Brighton and Hove, a local campaign group made up predominantly of health care professionals. They’re experts in the effects polluted air can have on people’s health, very clear about the size of the problem locally, and vocal in their belief that inaction on the part of the local authority simply isn’t an option.
Polluted air is linked to asthma, heart disease, strokes, dementia, diabetes, cancer, and reduced life expectancy. It is particularly harmful to children and has been found to contribute to stunted lung growth in the very young and a host of other serious health problems.
Traffic is clearly a major contributor. We know people need to reduce their reliance on cars and, even as a driving instructor, that’s clearly something I support. We need to encourage more people to use public transport where appropriate, and as an authority be ambitious in our attempts to create more car-free areas of the city.
But traffic isn’t the only problem. Research shows domestic wood burning now accounts for more dangerous PM2.5 particle pollution than all the cars on all the roads in the UK. Brighton and Hove suffers from high levels of this fine particle pollution and it has significant and worrying health implications.
Surprisingly, Brighton and Hove is currently the largest city in the country not to be entirely covered by a Smoke Control Area (SCA). SCAs aren’t a perfect solution to the problem, but would be a start and is something Clean Air for Brighton and Hove is pushing for. At present just seven per cent of the city falls inside an SCA.
We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis and many people believe burning wood is a cheap alternative. A report from the Impact on Urban Health charity has found that isn’t the case. And even where it is, we should be more ambitious in our attempts to lift people out of fuel poverty than condemning them to a short-term solution which is proven to have dangerous implications for the health of them, their family, and their neighbours.
The truth is, unfortunately, we are in a situation where the Government has made clear it won’t prioritise initiatives aimed at improving air quality, and Labour both locally and nationally has been vocal in its opposition to clean air zones. Neither party seems willing to take the tough action needed to guarantee residents clean air to breathe.
Locally, Labour has promised a data-driven approach to improving air quality. The data, however, is already crystal clear. The city needs action. And it needs it now.
n Cllr Steve Davis is the leader of the opposition and Green Party convener on Brighton and Hove City Council.
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