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“We need a serious overhaul of the way we think about waste” as City MP signs Manchester Declaration

By 18 September 2019September 8th, 2022No Comments

Shadow Communities Minister, Stephen Morgan MP has pledged support for a fresh, green campaign aimed at making our household goods easier to repair and less disposable. 

Mr Morgan is one of the first MPs to add his name to “The Manchester Declaration”, an open letter aimed at manufacturers, policy makers and designers seeking to make items less disposable and easier to repair.

Mr Morgan said:

“From phone batteries that cannot be easily replaced to cables that are deliberately given a short life span, coaxing the public into spending more hard-earned cash – everywhere we look is the unnecessary disposal of goods.

If we are to address the climate emergency, it will require a serious overhaul of the way we think about waste. Support for this campaign ties in with a great deal of the other work that I am doing to tackle climate change.

Whether lobbying for better active travel in Portsmouth or meeting with Friends of the Earth and voting in favour of a climate emergency – this issue will remain a priority.

The Manchester Declaration, orchestrated by grass roots community repair movements, is a major first step on the road to reducing excess. I am proud to be one of the first MPs to add their name to the declaration and look forward to raising the awareness of this valid campaign in Parliament.”

Stephen Morgan MP is no stranger to taking a proactive stance to tackling climate change.

The city MP regularly holds green coffee mornings, is involved in local beach plastic collections, played an instrumental role in declaring a Climate Emergency locally and nationally, has close ties with Friends of the Earth and has lobbied Government hard over Portsmouth’s poor air quality.

Clare Seek, Founder of Repair café Portsmouth said:

“I am delighted that Stephen Morgan MP is one of just five MPs to add their name to The Manchester Declaration.

Whilst the strength of this movement lies in its grass-roots mentality, it is essential that politicians get on board and promote this push for sustainability, including legislative change to bring us a real Right to Repair.

I hope that Stephen, taking this proactive stance to tackle the climate emergency, inspires other MPs and community groups to get involved.

I look forward to continuing to help the people of Portsmouth keep their products lasting longer; saving them money, saving the planet, sharing skills and having fun along the way.”

The movement was born out of the 2018 FixFest, a regular global gathering of repairers, activists, policy makers and companies from all over the world.

The aim is to ensure that appliances that fail prematurely can be fixed rather than disposed of.

The UK repair community largely offers collaborative repair opportunities in the form of community café’s in easy to access spaces. The idea is spreading across the nation and most cities across the country offer the service.

The City MP said:

“Not only is the campaign helping our communities go greener and saving us money, it is spreading new skills in a fun way.

Learning to fix an electrical appliance in a safe environment could be the spark that ignites an interest in engineering or mechanics. This coupled with the fact these events are in open local spaces fosters a community spirit and gives people the chance to meet others who share their interest.”

Portsmouth’s Repair Café is on the 3rd Saturday of each month, from 10.30am to 1pm at Buckland URC, 174 Kingston Road, Fratton. Find your nearest Repair Café at https://repaircafe.org/en/visit/