Tories renege on plastic bag pledge
26 October 2008
In October 2007 Brighton and Hove hit national headlines for becoming the first city in England to 'outlaw' single-use plastic carrier bags.Councillors voted unanimously to “eliminate” plastic shopping bags throughout the city, and vowed to work with community groups and retailers alike to achieve the goal of a Plastic Bag Free Brighton & Hove. *
A year on, and the Conservative led council has revealed it is unsure as to whether it will even hold the ‘Supermarket Summit’ set to kick-start the process.
At the summit the council and local supermarkets were to discuss options for reducing the blight of plastic bags locally.
Preston Park Green Cllr Amy Kennedy (left), who put forward the original proposals calling for a reduction in single use bags in the city, commented: “Despite a lot of big-talk to begin with, the Tories have dropped this campaign like a ton of bricks.
“After an initial flurry of activity, little has been done.
"The council have produced their own re-useable ‘Bag For Life’, but whatever happened to the so-called ‘Supermarket Summit’ with the big retailers?
“The Tories promised they would meet with high-street giants, in a bid to work together to end the free issue of plastic bags at till-points.
"But 12 months on they have now said this is ‘no longer a priority’ for the Conservative administration: the supermarket summit is postponed, possibly cancelled.
“Plastic bags threaten marine life, fill up our landfill sites and are a waste of resources. San Francisco are in the process of banning them, Bangladesh have already done so, and even Tory Leader David Cameron has said he wants to see a reduction in their use.
"Why can’t Brighton & Hove City Council follow suit?
“So much for ‘Vote Blue Get Green’.
"The Tories evidently can’t or won’t demonstrate the commitment needed to tackle a simple day-to-day issue such as reducing single-use plastic bags, let alone show the leadership needed to engage with bigger action to cut carbon emissions and halt climate change.
“The Tories say that in the current economic climate they’ve got more important things to worry about.
"But putting an end to wasteful and unnecessary practices like that of free plastic bags is just one part of the solution to the problems we face.
"Greening our economy and our lifestyles will create more jobs, give us a more stable financial climate, and build a sustainable future."
Notes to editors:
For more information, please contact Cllr Amy Kennedy 01273 296445.[ENDS]
