Ipswich Liberal Democrat Response to CAN campaign

We would like to respond to CAN on their campaign demands for better air quality in the town.

We acknowledge that Ipswich does have poor air quality in many parts of the town, primarily caused by vehicles using our congested roads. There are five Air Quality Management Areas where pollution is monitored due to the levels of emissions being close to or exceeding national limits. Statistical modelling shows that this pollution results in over 60 deaths in every year and it is also linked to many serious health problems including heart disease, asthma and cancer. Consequently, it is vital that we do all we can to reduce pollution and improve the health of residents in the town.

The Government published its Clean Air Strategy in 2019 and local authorities were given the responsibility to reduce emissions. Suffolk is a two tier area with Ipswich Borough Council having the primary function for improvements with Suffolk County Council being in charge of public health. Importantly, Suffolk are also the highway authority and it is this split in responsibilities which, in the opinion of Lib Dems., has allowed both councils to avoid taking leadership on the issue.

Ipswich Liberal Democrat councillors have raised numerous questions within the Borough Council on the problem, particularly after the fifth AQMA at the top of Norwich Road was established in 2017. The Labour Executive have always responded that their duty is purely to monitor the position and the council is not funded to do anything more. Most local authorities have not accepted this is the position, with Cambridge City Council (Labour controlled), for example, having a comprehensive strategy for reduction of emissions. This has enabled Cambridge to win a £426,000 grant from central government for  EV taxi charging points which are now operational.

In early 2018/2019, Ipswich Liberal Democrats gave a response to the Air Quality Action Plan consultation which, in its draft format, gave hardly any practical examples of how we could reduce emissions. The final approved plan incorporated many of the numerous actions we outlined although we were disappointed that costings and dates in the plan remained vague; a point later recognised by the Department for Farming, the Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in their comments to IBC. Regrettably, in the latest Annual Report on Air Quality, in July 2020, IBC could point to very few completed actions – the total seemed to be two clean air projects in junior schools on Clean Air Day.

Ipswich Liberal Democrats have also responded to 2020 consultations on the Ipswich Local Plan and have insisted that IBC change its car parking strategy to correspond with air quality obligations and the climate emergency. A significant problem has been the creation over decades of numerous temporary car parks around the town. Cllr. Oliver Holmes has objected to them as they are renewed and he was also the only councillor on the planning committee who voted against the proposal by the Labour Executive for a major new multi-storey car park in Portman Road. Further multi-storey car parks in Ipswich remain a strategic objective for Labour. This seems like a return to the policies of the 1970s.

Political priorities may be changing slightly as, for the first time since 2008, the Labour Executive have given a budget towards improvements in air quality. To date, there has been a complete failure at both Borough and County levels to take effective leadership.

Of course, in May this year, elections will take place at both County and Borough level. Ipswich Liberal Democrats policy will be:

1. Ipswich Borough Council to provide leadership and insist on full co-operation from Suffolk County Council at all policy levels and, in particular, highways and transport.

2. The abandonment of the Ipswich Car Parking Strategy, including the building of new multi-storey car parks in the town centre.

3. A commitment by Suffolk County Council, currently controlled by the Conservatives, to an integrated transport strategy. This is to include all modes of transport (road, rail, buses, cycling and walking) with an acceptance that air quality and congestion cannot be tackled by building new roads. There must be clear targets for achieving modal shift from cars to public transport, cycling and walking.

4. All future development within both the town and the county to come within an over-arching policy framework committed to reducing emissions and cutting carbon.

Ipswich Liberal Democrats will continue to campaign for improvements in air quality. We recognise that there will be challenges ahead, including the UK government drafting new legislation outside the reach of EU law which currently underpins current legislation. These improvements are also likely to be complementary to our climate change obligations.

If any CAN members wish to raise any queries about this response or require more detail on our local election manifestoes, please contact us.

Oliver Holmes

IBC councillor for and on behalf of the Ipswich Liberal Democrats.

March 2021