Clean green agenda for GLA candidates

8:00am Thursday 24th April 2008

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Three of the four top candidates for the Barnet and Camden seat in the London Assembly have been pushing their green credentials this week.

At a question and answer session in Camden on Tuesday, organised by Friends of the Earth, candidates told a small audience how they intended to protect and improve the environment if elected on May 1.

Attending Friends House, in Euston Road, were Green Party candidate Miranda Dunn, Labour candidate and deputy mayor of London Nicky Gavron, and Liberal Democrat candidate Nicholas Russell.

The incumbent member and Conservative Barnet councillor Brian Coleman had "previous engagements".

The three candidates voiced their commitment to providing recycling facilities in all estates and to encouraging the use of electric and hybrid vehicles across the city. They also supported cutting carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2025, although Mr Russell called this a "tough agenda to achieve".

On the question of bendy buses, Ms Gavron said the current ones would remain, but there would be no more, whereas Mr Russell said he would consider replacing them with ultra-light rail buses and trams.

Ms Dunn criticised the buses as "dangerous and encouraging of crime" and said she would phase them out as soon as possible. She said one of her main priorites was to "get people out of cars before we all starve to death in London".

Ms Dunn also claimed her fellow candidates were only paying lip-service to the environment. She said: "I am amazed how well you both talk about being green and your green agenda. It reminds me of how well Tony Blair talked about peace."

Ms Gavron said buildings were a "key focus" for Labour because they account for 73 per cent of London's carbon emissions, compared to the 22 per cent produced by transport.

She said: "We are pioneering a new method of using our non-recyclable household and commercial waste to produce renewable gas to power our homes and buildings. For example, the Brent Cross Cricklewood development will be powered by these new technologies."

All three candidates insisted they were the answer to fostering a greener attitude among Londoners. Ms Gavron said Labour had already "walked the walk" in this respect, while Mr Russell said the answer was educating children, who would then teach the older generation.

Ms Dunn said the solution was to make people responsible for their actions, supporting community schemes and stopping councils from chopping down trees on housing estates.

All three candidates criticised Mr Coleman's green credentials.

Ms Gavron said: "You can see how much the environment means to him. He isn't even here."