Redbridge council must do better in addressing biodiversity and climate emergencies

So how has Redbridge Council risen to the biodiversity challenges over the past few years? When first elected councillors for Wanstead Village in 2018, Councillor Jo Blackman and myself sought to raise environmental issues up the council agenda. We were starting from a very low mark. Jo and myself were on the Nature and Environment Task and Finish Group. This group took evidence, did some site visits and came up with a plan. Among the recommendations was a review of the Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (sinc) around the borough, implementation of grow zones (wild areas), phasing out of pesticide usage, managing sites as wetlands for biodiversity and promoting wildlife corridors. A new Urban Landscape policy was adopted as part of the overall strategy. We also brought a Climate Emergency motion to the council in June 2019. This was duly passed. A corporate panel was established to come up with recommendations. These are now in process of implementation The biodiversity strand has been regarded by some of us as the poor relation to climate, lacking the same urgency. This is wrong ofcourse, given the two are inextricably linked. There have been successes. Grow zones have extended, with 10,000 square metres covered. Another 400,000 square metres has been given to wild space. Some 850 tree pits have been adopted in the last year, with 7,000 trees planted in the same period. Less encouraging is the failure to take forward the Nature & Environment Task & Finish report's SINC recommendations. There has been an increasing involvement from residents, operating on a voluntary basis. Groups like the Wrens and Wanstead Community Gardeners have contributed immensely. The River Roding Trust has done great work in cleaning up the river, whilst bringing private and public bodies to account. Council has been supportive but has it done enough itself? This is an emergency, demanding rapid action, not back-burnering of issues, until funds allow. It has been an ongoing frustration of my eight years on the council that there seems to be different interpretations of what the word emergency means. My own perspective is that the present biodiversity and climate emergencies demand responses at least on a par with COVID. Obviously the response thus far is nowhere near that sort of level. National government could help by making the need to address biodiversity and climate emergencies a statutory duty on councils. Things need to change. There are two initiatives that offer hope. The first is the London Local Nature Recovery Plan, which offers guidance on how things should progress in the future. The second is a call for a nature emergency motion to be passed by the council. This would not be offering mainly vague aspirations but definite measurable benchmarks, which must be met. Things like committing to 30% of council land for nature recovery by 2030. And, the extension of the duty on developers to provide 20% biodiversity net gain in their projects. The culture also needs to change, so the comprehensive nature recovery strategy is embedded in all policy and plans of the council. A petition calling for just such an initiative has been collecting signatures over the past few months. It is now nearing the 1500 mark, which would enable the issue to be debated at the council. If you have not signed, please do so at chng.it/S8TYXnTpB. These moves will help ensure that a more comprehensive plan is laid down for the future. The next question will be what the shape of the new council to be elected next May. The election is another important opportunity to make clear to those seeking office how important it is to address the environmental emergencies. For my own part, I will not be standing for election as a Labour councillor come next May, though, will be seeking to do all I can to ensure that climate and biodiversity are at the top of the agenda. Given the political will, garnered from grass roots pressure, we can really accelerate efforts to confront these crises. All is not lost, with many positive things going on, but time is running out.