100 days to give Green Capital to Bristol

This comment article is written by Christian Martin, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Clifton East ward

Yesterday marked 100 days until Bristol officially becomes the Green Capital of Europe. Councillors, businesses and the public have, however, been kept in the dark. Many residents have complained that they have not been told anything about the next year. Over the last few days I have had to go through many hurdles to try and get to the bottom of what is planned for 2015. That, frankly, is not good enough.

To put it into perspective, Scotland was given 1,300 days to engage in the process of voting for independence. We have got 100 days to engage with the Green Capital.

Many neighbourhood partnerships have requested guidance on how they can bid for the Neighbourhood Partnerships Grants but councillors cannot help because we are not allowed access to the information a few people at the top know about.

At the Clifton and Clifton East neighbourhood forum meeting this week there was supposed to be a Green Capital presentation on the grants available. However, no council officers and no one from Green Capital turned up. So we now have disenfranchised residents in Clifton and Clifton East who don’t know anything about the Green Capital. I know that the same thing also happened at the last Cabot neighbourhood forum.

Residents and communities are not being given the information that they need to ensure that next year will be accessible to all. I am concerned that it will become an elitist, mayor’s mates-only event, with millions of pounds being spent on a chosen few.

The European Green Capital title was won because of the input of the Liberal Democrats and it should be an event that is inclusive and open to all residents. We in fact fought for some years while in charge of the council before the mayor took office in 2012 to secure the title. We laid the foundations for a more sustainable city. We invested millions in solar panel installation and wind turbines. We pushed recycling rates up above 50%. We encouraged cycling with cycling trips up by 63% by 2012 and created the council’s ‘Walking Strategy’.

We supported the hydrogen boat project, which was set up to demonstrate hydrogen technology as an alternative power source. Where we spent £250,000, several other cities around Europe – including Venice, Amsterdam and Hamburg – spent £14 million between them to reach the same stage on a hydrogen boat that Bristol did. We set higher carbon targets for Bristol than the EU or UK had for themselves – 40% reductions by 2020. We cut 40% of the energy cost of street lights, saving £1 million, cutting emissions and not having to turn a single light off. The list goes on and on.

We were in fact so successful at the technical assessment needed for securing the Green Capital bid that it would have taken the most monumental foul-up to lose it.

Let me be clear, winning the bid has put Bristol and the wider region on the European stage as a leader in green innovation, sustainable living and creating a vibrant, low-carbon economy. But it is imperative that we have a citywide programme of events set up for the year; its benefits should be achievable for everyone. The strength of our bid was the fact that it was supported across the city; the European Commission told us how impressed they were by our joined-up business, community and council approach.

I am therefore concerned about the organisation of the project, which is in disarray and which looks absolutely hopeless from someone on the outside looking in. There has been a complete failure in allowing councillors to scrutinise the money available. Where is the money, including the £7m from the government which was lobbied for by Stephen Williams MP, going? Where is the £2 million, announced in June 2013 when we won the bid, which we’ve heard nothing about since? Why did the mayor turn down sponsorship from EDF, a company willing to invest in the city with a record in investing in low-carbon energy? Taxpayers’ money is at stake and there is now cross-party concern for the lack of focus from those at the top.

Bristol’s year as the European Green Capital should be an accessible year-long event for the city, where every single person is engaged in the process of understanding what we can each individually do but also what we can collectively do as a society. It should also be an opportunity for us to showcase our sustainable technologies and ideas, like how the Lib Dems pioneered the hydrogen boat. I want the mayor to make a commitment to going after the money that the government is offering for a hydrogen re-fuelling plant through the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), which would then help to run cars, buses and boats here in the city. The money is available but the mayor has not committed to getting the funding.

I want the next year to be a prestigious and memorable success. We should for example start the year with a ‘Carbon Footprint’ clock, similar to the US debt clock. This would be a visible landmark, something all residents could see and not just something for the elite, and it would become an iconic part of the year ahead. Additionally, I have been talking to my neighbours about what commitment they are making and it would have been fantastic if this launch had included a portal on the new website for all residents to share their commitment and to explain the steps they are taking to live more sustainable lives.

Far from costing you money to be eco-friendly, there are many things residents can do to save money and to save this city money. But as we get closer and closer to 2015 we are still left without detailed knowledge of any meaningful events that are open to the public to enjoy. The mayor must get a grip on what is going on and my party are willing to assist in any way we can.

Picture: Shuttershock