A Greener Future for Bradford

The coronavirus crisis has changed everything.

It has reminded us who and what really matters in our lives. It has clearly shown the weaknesses of an economy which has worked for a small minority for too long.

We cannot go back to where we were before. ‘Business as usual’ didn’t work for too many people and was destroying the natural world on which we all depend.

But this crisis has shown us that big change in a short space of time is possible. It is possible to rethink how we do things here in Bradford. 

Below is our nine step plan for ensuring we have a fairer, greener Bradford.

We need to plan a greener future for bradford

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During the coronavirus crisis, the government gave millions to bail out big businesses, but the support for small businesses has been less forthcoming.

We know having a wide range of local shops and services within walking distance is essential to a healthy, strong community.

We need to:

• support our high streets by making them cleaner, safer and more appealing to local shoppers.
• relax restrictions on outdoor seating for cafes, bars and restaurants to help support them with social distancing restrictions.
• help set up local businesses networks to get small businesses talking to each other and working together.

Everyone deserves a safe, affordable, place to live and we can’t address unfairness and inequality in our society until we start treating our houses as homes.

Fundamental change is needed to transform our housing market so that it is fit for the future.

We need to:

• ensure that we are building the types of houses we need in the places we need them.
• build as much affordable housing as possible (as a Council or in partnership with social housing providers).
• make sure that that new houses built here in Bradford are built to better environmental standards by changing planning guidelines.
• increase the supply of emergency and temporary accommodation for homeless people.

The coronavirus crisis has brought out the best in many of us. 

Many people have connected with their neighbours and communities for the first time and we have seen people helping each other in creative and inspiring ways.

We can’t lose this new found sense of community.

We need to:

• work with community groups to find out what support they need to continue to offer the support they have been giving.
• invest in community centres and youth clubs to help rebuild the sense of community that has been lost after nearly two decades of cuts.

As more people return to work and children return to school it is more important than ever that we have streets that prioritise pedestrians and cyclists and enable social distancing.

By making our streets safer we could save lives, make our communities safer, and reduce air pollution.

We need to:

• ban pavement parking. Vehicles parked on the footway can cause big problems for many vulnerable people and parents with prams. 
• make walking safer by ensuring pavements are well maintained and free from pot holes and obstruction.
• make roads outside of schools safer, healthier and pleasant by introducing school streets schemes which restrict traffic outside schools at drop off and pick up times.
• support communities to keep inner city ginnels clean, tidy and safe. These provide important links for communities to parks, that create mini ecologies, and provide safe play space.

In Bradford, we are lucky to have some amazing green spaces but these are under threat from planning policies that favour developers before the community that live here. 

We need to:

• scrap the unnecessary South Bradford Link Road through the Tong Valley and abandon plans to allocate vast amounts of green belt for 2,500 houses.
• rethink our planning guidelines to encourage redevelopment of brownfield sites before greenbelt sites.
• invest more money in our parks and community-owned green spaces to ensure they can be used by the whole community.

 

Clean, safe, accessible public transport and more walking and cycling could make us all healthier and happier. 

We need a public transport system that takes us where we need to go, affordably and reliably. It should be easy to choose to leave the car at home – or not have one at all.

We need to:

• make it easier and cheaper to get around Bradford and Yorkshire by public transport. 
• improve train links out of Bradford Interchange and ensure that additional train links to Chester, Liverpool and Sheffield go ahead.
• reinstate rural bus links to make it easier for people to get around without relying on private cars.
• make sure that buses and taxis operating within our city meet the highest environmental standards by supporting bus companies to upgrade to greener vehicles.

From the coffee cup you chuck in the bin, to the smartphone you upgrade year after year, we have a “throw away culture”. And we all know it’s not right.

Our waste strategy can’t just focus on increasing recycling – we need to reduce the waste we create and encourage reusing things were possible.

We need to:

• get tough on rogue waste collection traders who collect waste for a fee and fly-tip it in other parts of the city.
• help set up “Repair Cafes” which give local communities the skills and tools to repair, upgrade and customise their belongings.
• ensure that the fast food planning policy is extended throughout Bradford to help combat the waste fast food businesses create.

The coronavirus crisis is going to change everything in regards to air travel.

This means that we need to re-think plans to expand expansion at Leeds Bradford Airport.

We know airport expansion doesn’t make climate sense and this just shows that it doesn’t make business sense either.

We need to face up to facts. We are in a climate emergency which means we must stop expanding our airports.

The current plans would see twice as many flights leave the airport. That’s twice the noise and twice the amount of pollution.

Air pollution is a big problem across Bradford District. One in twenty deaths is linked to the poor quality of our air.

However, not enough is being done to tackle this problem. Our elected officials are in denial about the air pollution crisis.

We need to:

• make walking, cycling, and public transport the main forms of transport around Bradford District reducing the need for private car usage and the air pollution it causes.
• ensure that Bradford Council delivers the “Clean Air Zone” as a first step towards reducing pollution from vehicles across Bradford.

We need to plan a greener future for bradford

Sign our petition

Want to help us plan a greener future for bradford? Join us and help make it happen

Join The Green Party Today