Friends of the Earth chief says environment must not be ignored in General Election

From i-newsonline by Craig Bennett, head of Friends of the Earth LINK

The General Election starting pistol’s been fired and the coming weeks are set to be dominated by Brexit and issues like the NHS, education and our economic well-being.

Let’s not kid ourselves – it’s unlikely that most political parties will put the environment centre-stage in their campaigns. It will take hard work by concerned members of the public and green groups to focus their attention.

But our environment is crucially important for us all.

Air pollution puts strain on NHS

The reality is we’ll struggle to solve the crisis in our NHS while 40,000 people die prematurely every year thanks to the UK’s appalling air pollution. Children, with their developing lungs, are particularly impacted.

Our poorly-insulated, heat-leaking homes account for thousands more deaths annually too.

Our economy is continually burdened by the billions of pounds of subsidies tax-payers hand-over to support dirty fossil fuels and the nuclear industry.

And then there’s climate change. The alarm bells may be tolling, but were still failing to take serious action to deal with an issue that threatens catastrophic harm to both people and our economy.

Severe droughts lead to famine.

Just last month the World Meteorological Office said climate change in 2016 contributed to extreme weather events, including severe droughts that have brought hunger to millions of people in southern and eastern Africa and Central America.

It pointed out that Hurricane Matthew caused widespread suffering in Haiti as the first category 4 storm to make landfall since 1963. Heavy rains and floods affected eastern and southern Asia. Hundreds of people died and hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced due to these events.

Six months ago the Living Planet Index showed that global populations of fish, birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles declined by 58 per cent between 1970 and 2012 and that the decline is continuing.

This decline in nature threatens the stability of the ecosystems that we rely on for fresh water, food and other so-called ecosystem services. In our own country our bee populations are declining due to factors such as pesticide-use and disappearing habitats.

Politicians must wake up to the fact that they can’t promise a better future for the UK without properly engaging on these environmental issues. They can’t promise a better future for today’s children and the next generation without committing to urgent local, national and international efforts to address biodiversity loss, climate change and air pollution.

British people want stronger regulations

The British public overwhelmingly want stronger environmental protections. An opinion poll we commissioned by YouGov last summer revealed:

· 83% said Britain should pass laws providing a higher or the same level of protection for wild areas and wildlife species than current EU laws. Only 4% want lower protection.

· 81% want to keep an EU ban on neonicotinoid pesticides that have been found to pose a threat to bees – with only 5% saying it should end.

· 57% said British farming subsidies should put either more or the same emphasis on environmental protection than the current EU subsidies do. Only 7% wanted less emphasis on protecting the environment.

The next six weeks are likely to set the direction of travel for the UK for at least the next five years.

Will the UK maintain the rules and regulations that protect our green and pleasant land and have enabled us to claim global leadership on shared environmental problems? Or will short-term profit win out?

Will our local, national and international environment get better, year on year, with cleaner air, less carbon pollution and more nature? Or will it start to decline?

During the General Election Campaign we must make sure our environment is not ignored. We need every prospective MP to engage with this issue and pledge that the UK will play its role in an urgent global efforts to ensure the next generation will enjoy an environment that’s getting better: a safer climate, flourishing nature, and healthy air, water and food. We can’t afford to let these issues be side-lined.

What you can do for Clean Air for Brent

From Transition Willesden

Clean Air for Brent is a coalition of local residents' groups, Transition Towns, Friends of the Earth and the Council to improve air quality in the borough.  We met earlier this week, and are keen to involve people in having their say on air quality in Brent and also on diesel vehicles, especially in view of the results from our pollution monitoring in October.

Last October we carried out air pollution monitoring in Willesden, Dollis Hill and Cricklewood, and found 7 out of 10 sites were above the EU legal limit for nitrogen dioxide (NO2), with Cricklewood Broadway being well over twice the limit (see maps here and here).  For more about the project see our online group.

Brent Council is consulting residents and businesses on its Air Quality Action Plan for the next 5 years.  You have until Thursday 30th March to add your comments. Please take a little time to read the plan and respond to the survey online here.  You can also email feedback to ens.monitoring@brent.gov.uk

If you have less time, please sign one or more of these petitions against diesel.  It is largely the increase in diesel vehicles that is having such an impact on the air we breathe:

-Ditch diesel in the UK by Friends of the Earth

-One directed at car companies from Greenpeace.

-You can also write to MEPs asking them to clean up vehicle testing.  They will be voting on this issue on 5th April.

Groups combine to discuss solutions to air pollution menace - Barnet March 23rd

Great to see a cross-party event supported by so many other organisations - an example to other areas.

The speakers are :

*  Jean Lambert Green Party MEP

Jean is a founder supporter of Clean Air in London , and as an MEP has pressed the European Commission to take action against the UK government for failing to meet legally binding EU air quality standards. She has also made numerous air quality consultation responses to the London Mayor and the UK government, and has published the pamphlet Air Pollution, London's Unseen Killer, which was widely distributed across London.

* Aaron Keily from Friends of the Earth England , Wales and Northern Ireland 

Friends of the Earth are currently running a campaign called Ditch Diesel

* Paul Drummond from UCL.

Paul has led work on looking fiscal ways of how a move away from diesel vehicles could be encouraged by taxation methods.

*    Andrea Lee from ClientEarth.

ClientEarth have successfully sued the UK Government for lack of action on implementation of measures to combat air pollution.

Each speaker will give a short talk, and afterwards there will be a Q & A session/discussion.

This meeting has the support of Barnet Residents’ Association, Barnet Trades Council, Barnet Alliance for Public Services, Barnet Friends of the Earth, Barnet LibDems, Barnet Labour Party and  Barnet Green Party.

Whilst entrance is free donations would be most welcome via this LINK
or ring 0800581051

This fund-raising action will be carrying on after the Barnet FoE Air Pollution Meeting.

When donating please mention “Barnet Air Pollution Campaign”.

Eventbrite link

Tell Sadiq Khan to take action to clean up London's air

A message from Friends of the Earth

As an asthma sufferer living in London, I can always tell when the air is particularly dirty. And when air quality alerts appeared at bus stops and tube stations all over London last week, the problem was even more obvious. It’s a sad truth that on bad days, I often have to get off my bike to use my inhaler so I can breathe properly. Sometimes it’s not safe for me to cycle at all. This is one of the reasons I’m so glad to see the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, is asking us how he should clean up London’s air.   Have your say about London's air It gets worse. Air pollution puts millions of lives across the capital at risk. It’s responsible for nearly 10,000 early deaths in our city every single year. Sadiq Khan has said he wants everyone in London to breathe clean air. But the options he’s put forward won’t bring down pollution levels fast enough. Right now, he’s asking everyone in London what they think of his plans. This is your chance to tell Sadiq to toughen up his proposals to make a real difference. Tell the Mayor to clean up our air London is our home and we deserve better. The Mayor must protect Londoners' lungs and take the action we desperately need to clean up our air. Many thanks for all you do. Sophie, London campaigner

DETAIL FROM FoE

Friends of the Earth’s views on the Mayor’s autumn 2016 air pollution consultation

November 2016

The London Mayor is consulting on “New proposals to improve Air Quality - Have your say on the introduction of a new Emissions Surcharge and ideas for improving Ultra Low Emission Zone” which closes on 18^th December 2016

https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/environment/air-quality-consultation-phase-2/?cid=airquality-consultation#_ftnref1.  

Click here to respond to the consultation on the Friends of the Earth website

Context and timeframe

The government’s recent defeat in the High Court (http://www.clientearth.org/major-victory-health-uk-high-court-government-inaction-air-pollution/ ) found that the government’s plans for Nitrogen Dioxide air pollution did not include the measures necessary to bring air pollution within EU legal limits “as soon as possible” as is required. So now stronger measures will be needed to clean up our air quicker, and the government will also have to re-model air pollution on more realistic and less optimistic assumptions.

Along with the rest of the UK, there will need to be measures adopted so that London will meet EU legal limits sooner than the government had originally planned – which for London was previously 2025 (when these limits should have been met by 2010 or 2015 at the very latest).

In other UK cities Clean Air Zones will need to be in place to ensure legal limits are met as soon as possible, and rather than 2020 as previously planned, this must be earlier now - we understand that 2 cities have said Clean Air Zones can be in place 2018.

And to avoid Londoners having to be exposed to illegal levels of air pollution longer than other parts of the UK, London must evaluate what measures, including having a strengthened and widened ULEZ in place, would be needed for to it to comply by 2018 too.

The Mayor must look at what possible measures could be introduced by which earliest possible dates – the law requires that this must be irrespective of cost or any political difficulty. Critical judgements must be made on how best to protect the health of Londoners and avoid as many as possible of the nearly 10,000 premature deaths a year air pollution is responsible for in the capital.

Emissions Surcharge (ES) or T-Charge

The Mayor proposes this additional charge for the dirtiest vehicles using the Central London Congestion Charge Zone as an interim measure before the Ultra-Low Emission Zone comes in.

We support this charge as it is important to take immediate steps to improve air pollution, but think that this should also include the newest diesels, at least for cars. We also think that private hire vehicles should not be exempt.

Ideas for the future of the Ultra-Low Emission Zone/ULEZ

The Mayor must strengthen the ULEZ so that it is London-wide for all vehicles including cars – not just as is currently proposed to stop at the North and South Circular roads, and with ULEZ standards only applying London-wide for heavy vehicles. The ULEZ should effectively replace and strengthen the existing London-wide Low-Emission Zone. With a London-wide scheme in place for all vehicle types all the necessary levers would be in place and the scheme could be progressively adjusted as needed.

Bringing forward the ULEZ in Central London

Plans to bring forward the ULEZ from 2020 to 2019 are welcome but even earlier introduction must be evaluated, including for it to be in place by 2018 – including as strengthened and widened as per the below.

Expanding ULEZ London wide for heavy vehicles, buses and coaches

This is welcome, but the Mayor must set up the ULEZ to be London-wide for all vehicle types including Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) and cars, so that all the levers are in place and adjustments can be made as necessary.

Expanding the ULEZ up to the North and South Circular roads

This is welcome, but the Mayor must expand the ULEZ out to be London-wide, where the current Low-Emission Zone / LEZ boundary already is, so that all the levers are in place and adjustments can be made as necessary.

Complementary measures needed

Action is needed in London to ensure vehicles are cleaner, but also that there are fewer of them – all vehicles produce air pollution from tyre and brake wear, and cause congestion which is bad for business.

This will require a mix of measures including planning our communities so that people don’t need to travel unnecessarily to reach key amenities and work opportunities, making cycling safer and public transport more affordable, consolidating the myriad freight movements in our city, and not adding to the air pollution problem such as with new road-building.

The Mayor has reviewed plans for Thames river crossings in East London which included 3 road crossings, and while improvements have been made, he is still currently pursuing at least a new 4-lane Silvertown road tunnel. This would mean worse pollution for some places which would not be acceptable – instead a comprehensive package of non-road crossings and complementary measures must be considered.

https://www.london.gov.uk/transport/londons-river-transport/more-river-crossings-all-londoners-0?utm_expid=121236727-13.sQogpOA6RqGkfppc0lk0kQ.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.london.gov.uk%2Ftransport%2Flondons-river-transport

The government also needs to do more to enable London to do more, both directly such as restricting the sale of dirty vehicles, changes to road-tax to discourage diesels, a scrappage scheme for the dirtiest vehicles, and also to enable more powers for the London Mayor and for Local Authorities.

Contact: Jenny Bates, Friends of the Earth Air Pollution Campaigner: jenny.bates@foe.co.uk

Passionate statement on Trump from US Friends of the Earth: The environmental resistance will stand against Trump

WASHINGTON, D.C. - President-elect Donald Trump threatens our environment and we vow to fight him every step of the way. Like Sen. Bernie Sanders, Trump tapped into a deep resentment about the governing establishment of both the Democratic and Republican Parties. He spoke using fear, suspicion, racism and hate to people who felt the government had left them behind.

The political establishment has ignored the fight for justice and the environment. But we reject the politics of fear utilized by Trump while recognizing that we must address the fundamental issues of equality, race and class that divide this country.

Some things have not changed: we are a nation divided and half of this country is determined to continue the progressive fights it started. The People’s Revolution, the Standing Rock Sioux, the Movement for Black Lives and Keep it in the Ground activists will not go gentle into the night. We will fight to protect our land, air, water and the people who depend on them for survival.

The next four years will not be easy, but we have fought hostile administrations before. Under President George W. Bush, the environmental community took the battle to the courts and Congress and watchdogged political appointees; we blocked attacks on the environment; we galvanized the public to take action. After the more recent fights to kill the Keystone XL pipeline, ban fracking and shut down coal plants, the environmental movement is stronger than we have ever been.

We will have to harness our new energy, join together, and use every strategy possible to fight against hate and greed and environmental destruction. While I wish we had a different fight before us, we must fight the one presented to us. The future of our country and planet depends it.
 
Kate Colwel

Brent Kilburn Connects to discuss air pollution, proposed parliamentary constituency changes & benefit cap tomorrow (Wednesday)

Wednesday, 21 September 2016

7pm
London Interfaith Centre, 125 Salusbury Road NW6 6RG
(Modern building with glass frontage and dome on top between Queens Park and Brondesbury Park stations) 206 bus ir walk down from Brondesbury Park station

Agenda

• Air pollution in Brent: what’s being done about it? Councillor James Denselow – Chair
  Aaron Kiely, Campaigner – Friends of the Earth, Tony Kennedy, Head of Transportation – Brent, Jennifer Barrett, Senior Regulatory Service Manager – Brent, Oliver Lord, Principal Policy Officer (Air quality / green transport) – Greater London Authority 

• Soapbox 
•  
• Draft proposals for new parliamentary constituency boundaries for England: what does this mean for Brent? Sean O’Sullivan, Electoral Services Manager - Brent
• Overall Benefit Cap changes from November 2016: be prepared!
  Are you aware of options available to you and sources of potential support and assistance?
  Neil Gann, Welfare Reform Project Manager - Brent

For further information please email brent.connects@brent.gov.uk

Join local action on air pollution monitoring

From Transition Town Kensal to Kilburn 

Air pollution is a current hot topic:

We will be carrying out some pollution monitoring in the TTKK area, putting up tubes on 24th September - see below if you would like to join in.

There will also be a public meeting on the subject on the evening of 21st September.  All are welcome.  More details below.


If you would like to join me to put out some monitoring tubes round our area at 3pm on Saturday 24th September please email me on janeymcallester@gmail.com.  We are joining a project run by the London Sustainability Exchange and will put the tubes out for ten days, collecting them on the 8th and sending them back for analysis, so it would be great if you are available on that date too.  There will then be comparison with other areas and discussion of the results - we can meet again to talk this through and decide how we want to use the information.  Let me know if you'd like to join in.

Public meeting

The next meeting of Brent Connects Kilburn is scheduled for 7-9pm on Wednesday, 21 September 2016 at London Interfaith Centre (aka St Anne and St Andrew's), 125 Salusbury Road NW6 6RG. The first item on the agenda is Air Pollution in Brent: What's Being Done About It?

Who's responsible for monitoring and assessing air quality in Brent? What effect has air pollution on health and wellbeing? How can we improve air quality in the borough?

Join us for a BBC ‘Question Time’ style interactive session for answers to these and other burning questions on tackling air pollution in Brent. Brent is one of the London boroughs that has recorded some of the worst nitrogen dioxide levels, according to air quality monitoring statistics.

Come and find out more, increase your understanding of the positions of these key stakeholders and support Brent’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the borough is a safe place to live, work and play.

Panellists

Aaron Kiely, Campaigner – Friends of the Earth

Tony Kennedy, Head of Transportation – Brent

Jennifer Barrett, Senior Regulatory Service Manager – Brent

Oliver Lord, Principal Policy Officer (Air quality / green transport) – Greater London Authority

'Nuclear Disaster - The Aftermath' Feb 4th Meeing

Ealing

 

Are hosting

Nuclear Disaster

The Aftermath

A talk by Mrs Kei Ikezumi

(Director of the No-Nuke project)

Kei has been living with the thousands of evacuees still living in temporary accommodation 5 years after the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power plant disaster in Japan. Kei will speak about the impact of the disaster and the dangers imposed by nuclear power

Thursday 4 February 7.00pm for 7.30pm

The Forester pub (upstairs function room)   Leighton Road, West Ealing W13 9EP

After Paris Climate Rising meets to discuss individual, community and workplace action on Climate Change

From Friends of the Earth, PCS and This Changes Everything UK
 

Please join us on  January  30^th at Friends House, London for Climate Rising,  a day of workshops, inspirational speakers and updates from the Paris talks.

Find out how to take action individually, together in our communities and workplaces; and link up with others across the globe who are on the frontline facing the threat of climate change.

In the morning we’ll hear stories from the Paris talks, including insights from:

Jagoda Munic, Chairperson, Friends of the Earth International 

Daniel Macmillen Voskoboynik, Coordinator, This Changes Everything UK 

Shehroze Khan, Campaigns Manager, MADE

Chris Baugh, Assistant General Secretary, PCS 

Sheila Menon, Activist, Reclaim the Power

Caroline Lucas MP will then chair a panel discussion on the next steps for the climate movement. She’ll be joined by the likes of:

Alice Bows-Larkin, Professor of Climate Science & Energy Policy, Tyndall Centre 

Mark Serwotka, General Secretary, PCS 

Yeb Sano, Climate Change Activist

With more speakers to be announced.

Naomi Klein, renowned journalist and author of This Changes Everything, will join us by video link from Canada in the afternoon.

And a host of exciting worshops including:

Deregulating the planet: trade, big business and the climate

Art, Fossil Fuels & Colonialism

Working for a low carbon economy: One million climate jobs S

topping fracking – frontline battles

Climate, migration and refugees

And many many more...

Rounding off the day we will hear from:

Alana Dave, Education Officer, International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) 

Asad Rehman, International Climate Coordinator,

Friends of the Earth  Francesca Martinez, Activist and Comedian

Everyone is welcome. Whether you’re new to the climate movement or a seasoned campaigner you’ll leave feeling inspired, motivated and connected with the climate community.

Timings:

Registration: 09:15 - 10:00 Ends 18.00

Friends House - 173-177 Euston Road London NW1 2AX GB - View Map

Tickets on Eventbrite £7.27 and £4.13 (concessions) LINK

Paris Climate talks: success or failure? Discussion next week

A climate change campaigner will talk about the Paris Climate Change Conference at Brent Friends of the Earth's (Brent FoE) January meeting. This will be at Watling Gardens Community Meeting Room in Kilburn on Tuesday January 12th at 7.30pm. DIRECTIONS

Aaron Kiely, Climate Change Campaigner from Friends of the Earth, who was in Paris for the negotiations, will speak about the talks and their outcome and discuss how we can work for a safe climate.

Pam Laurance, a Co-ordinator of Brent Friends of the Earth says, “Many opinions have been expressed about the outcome of the talks; some optimistic and some pessimistic. Clearly we need to continue to press the UK government to reduce our contribution to climate change. This is a chance to hear in more detail about the agreements made and to think about what we should do next.”

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event, and stay for the rest of the group meeting. Light refreshments will be available.

The talk will start at at 7.30pm, and will be followed by Brent FoE's monthly meeting. The meeting will be at Watling Gardens Community Meeting Room, 97/135 Watling Gardens, Shoot Up Hill, NW2 3UB (5 mins. from Kilburn tube/buses on Shoot up Hill). For more information see http://www.brentfoe.com or email info@brentfoe.com.

Dawn Butler gives Brent FoE her views on pressing environmental issues

Brent Friends of the Earth have issued the following account of their meeting with Dawn Butler, Labour, Brent Central, when they lobbied her over Climate Change.

 

Six members of Brent Friends of the Earth (Brent FoE) met with Brent Central MP Dawn Butler at the House of Commons this Wednesday 17^th June as part of a climate change lobby of Parliament.

The campaigners joined thousands of concerned people from all around the country to take part in 'For the Love of' – a mass lobby to urge MPs to take urgent action on climate change. The Brent group focussed their views on fracking, solar schools, fuel poverty, and airport expansion, and found much common ground with their newly-elected MP.

On fracking, Dawn is now as signatory to Labour MP Geraint Davies' “Fracking (Measurement and Regulation of Impacts) (Air, Water and Greenhouse Gas Emissions) Bill”, which hopes to stop fracking through making the contamination of water used and the emissions created by the process illegal. Fracking uses vast quantities of water along with toxic chemicals to extract shale gas. Forcing companies to clean this up would make extraction too expensive. She supports Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham MP in calling for a moratorium on this controversial technology in order to concentrate efforts on supporting renewables. Both Wales and Scotland already have moratoriums in place.

Viv Stein, Spokesperson for Brent FoE says, “With a decision due next week on whether to approve the UK's first fracking site in Lancashire, it is vital that we put a stop to fracking now. Giving the go ahead to this dirty fossil fuel there could pave the way for more fracking up and down the country, including a proposed site at Park Royal in Brent. It would also reduce the chance of preventing irreversible climate change. We need to leave shale gas in the ground and invest in renewable energy instead.”

“Fracking companies and the Government need to know they will find huge opposition wherever they plan to drill. We were pleased that Dawn Butler agrees that we should put a stop to fracking now, and that renewable energy is the way forward to secure our energy needs.”

On renewable energy, Brent FoE have been instrumental in setting up a local community energy co-operative, 'Brent Pure Energy', to put solar panels on schools and public buildings. Dawn favours extending the scheme to local churches and a mosque in Willesden Green, and she is also setting up a 'Green Cabinet' to focus attention on sustainability in Brent.

Dawn this week was voted Vice Chair of PRASEG, the All Party Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group - a group of MPs and senior industry stakeholders working together to promote issues around sustainable and renewable energy in Parliament. As Vice Chair Dawn will play a leading role in helping PRASEG hold the government to account and ensuring the UK plays a leading role worldwide on energy and climate change.

Ensuring warmer homes and ending fuel poverty is also a particular concern for both Brent FoE and Dawn. As a Magistrate she sees many people in court penalised for defaulting on energy bills. She wants to end the high tariffs charged by pre-payment meters, and to encourage landlords to insulate homes. NHS budgets will also benefit as cold homes mean poor health.

Dawn Butler, Labour MP for Brent Central says, “Ending fuel poverty and protecting tenants against excessive fuel bills are high on my agenda. I'm on board - Friends of the Earth are pushing on an open door with me on this, but it's not so open it's letting all the energy out!”

On airport expansion Dawn opposes the proposed expansion at Heathrow, but is not convinced that future expansion might be needed based on 'the business case'. She supports London Mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan, who has come out against Heathrow. FoE believe airports should not be allowed to expand, and that most of the extra capacity is for transfers so would not make much impact on UK business. The group did not agree with Dawn's belief that there are 'greener' planes. We believe the only 'green' plane is the 'solar impulse' a solar powered plane, which recently paused its round the world flight. Flying still remains the most carbon-intensive form of travel.

The lobby of Parliament is was organised by the Climate Coalition – the UK's largest group of people dedicated to action on climate change. For more details see http://fortheloveof.org.uk/. Brent FoE has a website at www.brentfoe.com. To sign FoE's urgent petition to keep Lancashire frack free go to https://www.foe.co.uk/act/psfl.

Eco Hustings Public Meeting – Who is the “Greenest” Candidate in Brent Central?

Parliamentary candidates for Brent Central will be answering questions on local and national environmental issues at an Eco Hustings on Thursday 26^th March at Learie Constantine West Indian Association in Willesden.

The public meeting, organised by Brent Friends of the Earth, will put Labour’s Dawn Butler together with Green candidate Shahrar Ali, Conservative Alan Mendoza, UKIP's Stephen Priestley and John Boyle of TUSC, in the spotlight to see just whose policies are really the greenest. The Liberal Democrats have also been invited.

Ian Saville, Spokesperson for Brent Friends of the Earth says, “This election is crucial for our future. We need firm resolve in our elected representatives to tackle climate change by boosting our economy with green jobs and investing in renewable energy instead of dangerous fossil fuels.”

“This meeting will be a chance for voters to see what candidates have to say on local issues, such as proposals for fracking in Park Royal and the expansion of Heathrow airport, and national ones, such as climate change and energy policy. We invite local residents to come along and ask questions on these and other environmental issues. After all what is the point of politics if we haven’t got a habitable planet?”

The free event takes place on Thursday 26^th March at Learie Constantine West Indian Association, 43-47 Dudden Hill Lane in Willesden, NW10 2ET, starting at 7.30pm. The venue is 2 minutes from Dollis Hill tube station, Chapter Road exit. All are welcome to attend. Refreshments will be available.

Update: Dawn Butler  (Labour) has now confirmed attendance in addition to Shahrar Ali (Green), Alan Mendoza (Conservative)  and  Stephen Priestly (UKIP)