meeting with David Cameron MP
Here is David Cameron's response to the questions from some of his constituents at a meeting in March.
NOTE TO CONSTITUENTS
CLIMATE AS A PRIORITY
My Party is fully committed to the task of tackling climate change. We are acutely aware of the threat that climate change poses to our way of life, our economy and both our local and global environment from climate change. For this reason, Conservatives were the first Party to call for a Climate Change Bill and worked hard to improve the legislation as it made its way through Parliament. We will continue to champion the cause both at home and internationally.
Conservatives recognise the impact that promoting carbon reduction at a local level will have on tackling climate change and in helping to Britain shift towards a low-carbon economy. We now have an opportunity to rebuild our economy on more sustainable foundations, rather than a housing boom or an over-reliance on the financial services sector and are putting in place the policies to achieve this. Many of these policies are listed below.
ENERGY
We would deliver the radical, and comprehensive, energy policies necessary to meet our obligations under the Climate Change Act and move Britain towards a low-carbon economy. We must move urgently to make up for time already lost on the UK's energy policy. I am firmly behind the UK renewables target of 15 per cent by 2020 and we will continue to push for a transition towards a low-carbon economy.
Financial Incentives ' A Green Deal'
You may be aware that we have announced bold plans to help communities protect the environment and save money. Major policy proposals for a Conservative government include giving rewards to householders for recycling their rubbish and also a 'Green Deal', providing up to £6,500 for home insulation improvements at no upfront cost to residents.
We fully support the implementation of feed-in tariffs, which are due to commence from 1st April. However, as they stand, the Government's current proposals for feed-in tariffs will unfairly penalise the very people who were the early investors in local energy. It is confusing and does not extend to those who installed microgeneration prior to 15th July 2009. Our policy is to extend the tariffs to cover any micro-generation technologies that were installed before the commencement of the Feed-in Tariff in April 2010.
Planning for microgeneration
It has long been our policy that we are prepared to adjust the planning system in order to make it easier for individuals to install microgeneration to their properties. In line with our policy, we welcome the fact that the present Government are now proceeding with proposals to allow some types of micro-generation as permitted development. Furthermore, we will alter the rules so that there is a presumption in favour of planning permission for the installation of microgenerating equipment in, or in the curtilage of, listed buildings, whenever this does not detract from aesthetic quality or architectural and historical interest.
The construction industry, householders and businesses will not be the only ones to benefit from an increase in the scope of ‘permitted development’. Local planning authorities will also see a sizeable fall in the volume of paper that they have to handle.
This, together with our proposals for a presumption in favour of sustainable development and for automatic permission in the case of sustainable development that meets no objections from a significant majority of immediate neighbours, means that local authority planning officers can go back to focusing on what they were originally employed to do – designing and implementing visionary plans for the development of their areas.
Renewables Target and Carbon Capture and Storage
I am firmly behind the UK renewables target of 15 per cent by 2020 and we will continue to push for a transition towards a low-carbon economy. We actively support getting more of our energy from renewable sources, including both on-shore and off-shore wind. This will help tackle climate change, create thousands of jobs, and help guarantee our energy security. Britain has some of the best renewable resources in the world – not just on land, but in wind, wave and tidal power available off one of the longest coastlines in Europe. We should make the most of those resources.
The days of unabated coal are over and all new coal-fired power must be fitted with Carbon Capture and Storage from the outset. We have said that an incoming Conservative Government would contribute towards the creation of a national carbon capture and storage (CCS) infrastructure, allowing energy companies to plug in new CCS power stations and make the UK a world leader in this developing new technology.
Onshore Wind Farms
Wind farm applications are not related to party control. There are both absolutely and proportionally more Conservative councils in rural areas. Some on-shore wind farm applications are simply not appropriate because of the harm to the visual environment, such as in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
If we are to be successful in promoting renewable energy at a local level then it is vital that we develop broad public support for the process. On-shore wind farms are not appropriate in all settings: local community consent is vital, and applications will need to be considered in the light of the possible impact on the local environment. This means allowing communities to be active participants in, as well as beneficiaries of, on-shore wind development.
That is why it is Conservative policy to allow communities that choose to host wind farms to keep the business rates they generate for six years. We are also examining how community ownership of wind turbines can be introduced, as on the continent, and how discounted electricity can be available to communities in the vicinity of wind farms. This is the sort of fresh thinking that will be required to increase acceptance of wind farms.
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
Our food security is safeguarded not only by the skill of our farmers but by the health of our soils, water, and biodiversity. In our search for increased production we must not repeat the mistakes of the past by adopting damaging farming practices. Research and development is crucial to help the industry raise production in harmony with the environment and contribute to the global challenge of food security. We must uphold our world-class science base, share expertise with international partners and work to ensure that "blue skies" research is effectively translated into real practical value.
Our farmland is a national resource for future generations and the very foundation of our food security. However, under the current Government the protection of our best farmland has been downgraded and it has rejected calls from councils to keep in place local protection of this valuable asset.
My Party will introduce into our national planning framework rules preventing the development of the most fertile farmland, in all but exceptional circumstances. We will also promote the expansion of local food networks for both retail and wholesale trade so that domestic and service sectors such as schools can obtain consistent and sufficient supplies of locally produced food.
WASTE
Our goal is to work towards a zero waste society and eliminate the unnecessary use of landfill. We need a new approach to waste, one which minimises waste in the first place and then sees waste not as a problem but as a supplier of valuable resources for materials and energy.
A Conservative government will introduce a Responsibility Deal on waste - a voluntary arrangement under which producers cut back on the production of waste and improve its disposal. We will specify the level below which landfill tax cannot fall until 2020 to give businesses long-term certainty to invest in new forms of waste disposal and will encourage recycling incentive and bottle deposit schemes to raise recycling rates. As well as preventing, reusing and recycling as much waste as possible, we also need to capture energy from waste.
We will encourage councils to adopt a scheme that provides incentives for households to recycle, instead of fining them for not recycling. A successful scheme already operates in America, paying households to recycle. Firms are contracted by councils to reduce their landfill tax bills by pushing up recycling rates, and they use the proceeds to pay households up to $50 a month for their recycled materials. Conservative-controlled Windsor and Maidenhead Council has launched the first UK trial to reward households for recycling by providing vouchers for local shops and restaurants. We will encourage other councils to adopt the scheme.
TRANSPORT
If we are going to meet our tough Climate Change targets of reducing emissions 80 per cent by 2050, Conservatives recognise it is vital that we improve our transport system. Accordingly, Conservatives have pledged to build a High Speed Rail line from London to Leeds, linking in Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester, providing a greener alternative for thousands of car and lorry journeys and a greener alternative to domestic and short haul flights.
We will also put in place measures to deliver a national recharging network to boost greener driving choices and the switch to electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Sustainable Transport
Conservatives are determined to help more low carbon transport schemes get off the ground. We will reform the much-criticised Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) to create a Transport Carbon Reduction Fund. This will free local authorities to use the congestion charging strand of the TIF for green local transport schemes.
We will also reform the way decisions are made to ensure the benefits of low carbon travel schemes such as cycling projects are fully recognised. These measures will help local councils invest in greener measures and offer attractive, lower carbon alternatives to car travel. We are not considering prohibiting more than one-car ownership. However, Conservatives would try and improve public transport and encourage greener transport schemes to reduce the need for car travel.
Promoting Rail Travel
Conservatives would improve Britain’s railways by tackling overcrowding, improving services and ensuring the rail industry puts passengers first, by reforming Network Rail to make it accountable to passengers and transforming the Rail Regulator into a powerful passenger champion. They would also extend rail franchises making 15 – 20 year franchises the norm. This would encourage operating companies to invest in vital track, station and capacity upgrades
Aviation
Conservatives have consistently opposed the plans for a third runway at Heathrow. We recognise that the increased noise and air pollution caused by the thousands of additional flights would cause misery on communities in the South-east and have pledged that, if a Conservative Government is elected, there will be no third runway at Heathrow.
Conservatives support Regional Airports, where consensus for expansion exists. We can see a case for proportionate and sensible expansion of regional airports, with decisions being made on a case by case basis taking into account local and national environmental factors.
The Government’s Air Passenger Duty tax system does nothing to incentivise airlines to fly fuller flights or invest in newer, more efficient aircraft. Conservatives will reform Air Passenger Duty so that airlines are charged per plane rather than per passenger. We would also offer incentives to those who fly newer, cleaner planes.