The 2019 Labour Party Conference, held in Brighton, came to an end last week. City MP, Stephen Morgan honed his focus on climate change issues and acted on matters including urban green spaces and the role that local authorities play in tackling climate change.
Mr Morgan’s long running commitment to climate activism was the reason for his invitation to a number of strategy sessions targeting climate change.
Climate Change has been a major focus within the Labour Party for time eternal, with the party pioneering a Climate Change Emergency in Parliament and making ground-breaking developments at local authority level.
City MP, Stephen Morgan said:
“Undeniably climate change is the greatest threat we face. It must always be at the forefront of our agenda.
Children teaching Westminster a lesson by striking, Portsmouth people staging protests, pressure from activists such as Greta Thunberg –there is an atmosphere of change at a grass roots level and I believe that politicians have a responsibility to mirror this.
Party Conference is always high-intensity which is why is why I ensured that my main focus was orientated around acting at climate related events and meeting field experts to learn more about how we can tackle the most pressing issue the world faces.”
Mr Morgan took part in an event orientated around urban green spaces and the impact they have on the local community. The event, organised by The New Statesman, included representatives from The National Trust, Lord Kerslake and other key figures.
Following the event, the Shadow Communities Minister said:
“Park usage is up by 25% and 37 million of us use parks per year, they are integral to our communities.
Urban green spaces are a garden to many who do not have their own. They hugely improve the health and wellbeing of residents, extensively contribute to improving air quality, reduce strain on our NHS and off set carbon emissions.
But as the Select Committee and the experts who joined me on the panel said, “parks are at tipping point” because of the viscous cuts the Government has forced on Local Authorities.
I am committed to working in my role as Shadow Communities Minister to ensure the introduction of new parks, maintenance of urban spaces and protection of our open green areas.”
Mr Morgan also spoke out strongly in favour of giving more support to local authorities at an event organised by the University of Manchester orientated around cities.
“As someone who has spent over 15 years working in local authorities and now has the same sector in my parliamentary brief, I know how intrinsic councils are in fighting climate change.
From setting clean air targets and combatting local air pollution to promoting active travel – the role that local authorities play is undeniable.
At a time when they have had 60 pence out of every pound slashed from their budgets and are feeling the squeeze of Tory austerity, it is essential that they remain at the core of conference conversations.
I am committed to being an active voice when it comes to standing up for our councils and will continue to do everything in my power to ensure that they can continue to bring about change when it comes to climate change.”
This year’s conference saw ground-breaking wider policy moves made by Labour. Including the promise to build 37 new wind farms and a commitment to spending £300m buying a fleet of 30,000 electric cars for hire.
These policy announcements form part of the party’s push for a Green Industrial Revolution that would majorly reform the way we think about climate change.
