38 Degrees, Saving Trees and Sustainable Communities...

Forests saved thanks to successful grass roots campaign

Many people will have been pleased to hear that the government have now announced that they will no longer be selling off our publicy owned forests and have also apologised for getting this so wrong!

Jonathan Porrit was very critical of the relative silence of the large environmental

NGOs www.forumforthefuture.org/blog/protecting-the-public-forest-estate in comparison to 38 degrees who orchestrated a very successful online campaign and described their own success as follows:

“proof that government doesn’t always get it right and that by getting involved and speaking up we can make a difference... when we work together, we can change events... if you know someone who thinks writing to MPs or signing a petition is a waste of time, maybe you should forward them this... action@38degrees.org.uk

During the last few weeks internet communication has empowered many new groups in the Middle East with very dramatic consequences. A more direct form of democracy seems to be evolving, it looks like a democratic revolution of sorts is even beginning to find roots in our own society ... This morning I chose from a range of 38 degrees options for future campaigns... from saving libraries, banking reform, tax dodging to saving the NHS... Apologies from all political parties may well be less readily forthcoming in these complex areas than for the trees... www.38degrees.org.uk

Lighter Later campaign

Thanks to pressure from the 10:10 backed Lighter Later campaign, plans have now been published by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to bring UK clocks forward in a bid to increase tourism. Apparently it could boost UK leisure and tourism by £3billion and create around 80,000 new jobs...not bad for an extra hour of daylight! www.lighterlater.org

A study of the costs and benefits of lighter winter evenings to be gained through moving to Central European Time was approved by MPs last December and a three year experiment is now looking likely. Many local people contacted our MP about this last year in response to the Lighter Later campaign which is backed by the environmental organisation 10:10. www.1010global.org/uk

Sustainable Communities

Councils have recently been invited to submit new proposals under the Sustainable Communities Act.

The Sustainable Communities Act 2007 offers an opportunity for councils and communities to put forward new thinking on how to meet the challenges of sustainability and local wellbeing. It starts from the principle that local people know best what needs to be done to promote the sustainability of their area, but that sometimes they need central government to act to enable them to do so. It provides a new channel for local people and the councils which represent them to ask central government to take such action. The act was backed for many years by the following organisations with cross party support:

Local Works - a UK coalition of over 120 national organisations campaigning to promote the use of the Sustainable Communities Act www.localworks.org

Unlock Democracy - campaigns for a more participatory democracy in the UK, founded upon a written constitution.

Several of the proposals from the long summer of the 2009 Sustainable Communities process were selected by LDC and a few were sent by the Local Governmnet Association to the Secretary of State at CLG ... many ideas including feed in tariffs for renewable energy have been introduced. Wondering whether Lewes will be engaging local communities in this way again? A more balanced selection of panel members and much better feedback would be well advised next time... Looking forward to hearing from Lewes District Council...

Community Led Plans

Action in Rural Sussex have helped many Sussex villages to develop Community Led Plans over the last few years and have now created an interactive website alongside Brighton University to encourage sustainable communities to share information about local improvements with each other. Local Councils can also incorporate these suggestions into local plans at www.clp-se.org.uk. Unfortunately funding has been restricted recently and this service is no longer free.

My own small village of Iford and Swanborough voted last year in favour of developing a parish plan for our village but as an anachronistic Parish Meeting with no constitution/ability to raise funds we cannot afford to benefit from the experience of AIRS. The Parish Meeting have now decided not to consult local residents about the plan anyway... having co-opted a small working group to produce a parish plan brochure on our behalf. I offered to get involved, hoping to be able to include local people in decision making about plans for a new safer Ouse valley route... but was refused...this is far from the spirit of the AIRS Local voices Local choices campaign or even the new grass roots engagement encouraged by Localism and the Big Society... infact I’m left feeling that I’m living in a very small minded society indeed!

Kingston Hill Fields

During the first spring like days last week I enjoyed a lovely dog walk with a local friend around Kingston Hill Field a 56 acre meadow and dew pond jointly owned by 40 local people... and their dogs, who have formed a village action plan group and now also have a brand new green roofed pavilion and a safer route through the village... for pedestrians and soon for cyclists... proof that the power of positive people and well focussed community action can work for the benefit of all... if only given the chance to grow and flourish!