Although The MCA Travel and Transport group has not had any formal meetings, some MCA members have been active behind the scenes. In particular attending the meetings of the SMDC Travel and Transport Subcommittee, which has been set up to feed ideas to the main SMDC Climate Emergency Committee (CEC). The SMDC Travel and Transport sub-Committee is chaired by Councillor Keith Flunder and has been attended by mainly Conservative councillors, along with Cllr Garry Bentley (Cheadle West, Independent) Cllr Ian Waite (Horton Parish, Green) and usually with 2 or 3 members of MCA. Interestingly, according to my notes, no Labour or Lib Dem Councillors have attended any of the meetings! This has meant that the committee is dominated by Conservative councillors which can make it difficult to get our views across.
We all know that transport – or more precisely the lack of it – is a crucial issue for climate change in the Moorlands, where without a car, the options are few and far between. SMDC has a working group dedicated to Transport that reports to the climate change sub-committee. MCA members have attended every meeting; the experience so far shows what might be achieved under the council’s current climate agenda. But it also demonstrates how much more needs to be done, if there is to be any meaningful effect on carbon emissions in the district.
Getting provision for cyclists in the Moorlands has always been an uphill struggle but MCA members are continuing to press for improvements, switching down the gears for more traction.
Participants at SMDC working groups continue to push for the issue to be on the agenda, as do those on Leek Town Council’s climate group.