Right steps on trees and transport

WHEN it comes to dealing with the climate emergency, transport and trees are never far away from the debate.

Transport accounts for a huge amount of our emissions. Trees can help to offset the air pollution we create.

That’s why it’s good news that baby steps are being taken on both these topics.

On transport, it’s hugely encouraging to see trial School Streets being lined up. These schemes help tackle congestion and air pollution from the school run, as well as creating associated benefits with active travel – helping to prevent childhood obesity.

Local Lib Dem councillors Iain Dobie and Tony Oliver have worked with residents, Warden Hill Primary School and the county council on a scheme there.

Gloucestershire County Council, which is responsible for highways and transport, is doing the right thing in facilitating a trial and we should welcome that.

On a similar county-wide note, this week saw the launch of the Gloucestershire Tree Strategy.

The county is aiming to plant 35 million trees in the next decade – a laudable and ambitious target.

Whether we truly can deliver 10,000 trees per day, every day, for 10 years, we will see.

The county strategy earmarks Cheltenham for 117ha of new tree canopy cover. We’ll be working to see how that can be delivered, but we won’t be getting distracted from pursuing the wider behavioural and policy changes to achieve our carbon-neutral goals.

That means more energy-efficient homes, reducing carbon output from council activities and working with local businesses too.

So I’m pleased that the Cheltenham Economic Recovery Task Force is appointing an environmental expert to ensure our climate emergency goals are central to our townwide work on the Covid recovery.

And we’re strengthening our borough council team, too, so we can put in place more projects, lead them and empower communities too.

It’s vital that we get this work right – our town and our planet is depending on us.