David Ridley, Chair of Coventry Green New Deal reports on the meeting in Coventry Council House on 20 June 2023.

There were some new faces as well as those that have been with us for the four years since we first met, also in the Council House.

After introducing ourselves we talked about the draft Shadow Strategy, as well as what we know about the Council’s plans for its own draft Climate Change Strategy. Key architect of the shadow strategy, Tom Maidment, explained how he was currently working through all the fantastic feedback he has has received, via email, at the public meeting on the 21 May and from our panel of academic and practice-based experts from all across the country. Tom is working hard to meet the extended deadline from the council (3 July), and has asked for help from people attending the meeting in proofreading the draft before submission.

We emphasised that submission to the Council consultation process was only the first step. We will develop in the next meeting a strategy for supporting the shadow strategy through the council’s policy making process, working with councilors to understand better the limitations – and of course good points – of the Council’s redrafted strategy, which will hopefully include much of what we propose, and to scrutnise what is agreed by the council during subsequent stages.

We noted a change in attitude and engagement on the part of the Council towards Coventry Green New Deal, which we appreciate and hope is a good sign of things to come. We reflected that this has much to do with the expertise channelled through the shadow strategy, which should have been tapped into from the beginning but has so far been ignored. We also feel that our campaigns for greater transparency with regards to the Council’s draft strategy, the Climate Change Board and Council-owned companies like the CSWDC recycling facility, have served as a reminder that the wider community is watching closely.

We spent a long time in the meeting discussing waste and recycling, particularly the pollution produced by the Bar Road incinerator and its inefficiency as a heat generator. Many attending have had personal experience of campaigning against this faclity, and its successor, the catchily named and significantly larger Materials Recylcing Facility. Campaigners have been concerned about the negative effects of increased traffic and the negative health consequences of the pollution that falls on local areas.

We resolved to discuss this issue further in the next meeing, with an eye to launching a campaign that would link research on the two recycling facilities with on the ground campaigns led by local neighbourhood an commuity groups, bringing together also related issues like litter and food waste.

In terms of Coventry Green New Deal, we agreed to meet at the same time and place every two weeks, and keep the invitation to join us open and inclusive. As noted before, Coventry GND is a non-party political, informal group of people concerned about the environment. Previous experience or expertise in climate issues are not necessary. We would love to see you at the next meeting, even if you just want to just come along to talk about waste or see what Coventry GND are all about.