Candidates pressured on green spaces
THE dust may have settled on the local authority elections, but those returning to or taking their place for the first time in council chambers up and down Wales are being urged to show their green credentials.
In the run up to last Thursday’s polling day, pressure was put on candidates to ensure environmental concerns made their way on to the agenda.
The Open Spaces Society urged its members in Wales during the campaign to lobby their council candidates for their support for public paths, open spaces, common land and village greens.
And now it wants the ones who have been elected to put pressure on their authority to take relevant action.
The society bases its call around the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and its seven goals, one of which requires there to be a public services board in every area.
A local well-being plan must deliver the goals which include public paths, open spaces and public access in the considerations.
The society says that as a local authority is represented on the Public Services Board, councillors can have a direct input.
Society members were urged to put a number of questions to candidates, including:
”If elected, will you ensure that the protection and promotion of public paths and open spaces feature in the council’s forthcoming well-being plan as important contributors to the achievement of its well-being goals?”
”If elected, will you urge the council:
to ensure that there is adequate funding to maintain the public-path network in accordance with its statutory duties?
to take action against unlawful works on common land in accordance with its powers?
voluntarily to dedicate land as town or village green, and to press other landowners to do so, in particular when new development is proposed? This will protect the land in perpetuity and give local people rights of recreation there.”
General secretary, Kate Ashbrook, said: “These are all issues which councillors can influence. Our members will be pressing their new councillors to support these issues, which will benefit their constituents enormously.”
The society campaigns to protect common land, village greens, open spaces and public paths.