This comes after the Welsh government announced on Wednesday that it is freezing new road-building projects as part of its plans to tackle the climate emergency – and has appointed an external panel to review all proposed schemes.

Of the £875 million allocated as part of the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, £660 million is allocated to road building

programmes compared to just under £20 million to building railway stations – just a single new station across the county in Elland.

Leading these calls is Councillor Matt Edwards, who was elected to Bradford Council in May representing the Tong Ward in Bradford.

Tong Ward has two of the largest schemes being funded by WYCA, South East Bradford Access Road (often called the Tong Valley Road) and widening of A650 at Tong Street.

Councillor Edwards said, “New roads create new traffic. That’s a fact that Tracy Brabin and our Councils in West Yorkshire can’t escape.

“More traffic not only means more environment wrecking emissions being pumped into the air – it has a disastrous effect on the health of people living near these roads.

“The streets close to Tong Street are statistically ranked as some of the most unhealthy in our district largely due to air pollution and this vast amount of money needs to be invested in schemes which will deliver cleaner air and benefit our environment.

Councillor Andrew Cooper, a councillor from Kirklees (Newsome Ward) who was also the Green Party candidate for West Yorkshire Mayor added,

“The Labour-led Welsh government is showing real leadership with their announcement earlier this week and they are showing they understand the level of commitment needed if we want to tackle the climate emergency.

“I hope Tracy Brabin will take heed of the science and reverse West Yorkshire Combined Authority’s fixation with spending hundreds of millions on environment-wrecking schemes.”

The post Greens call for road building pause following similar move in Wales appeared first on Yorkshire & The Humber Green Party.

Councillor Ann Forsaith, a Green Party Councillor from Leeds has written to the Yorkshire Post to protest a recent wrap around advert from the group British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC)

In her letter, Councillor Forsaith has dismissed many of the claims from the group,

“Let us be very clear, despite the claims that have been published last week, the management of grouse moors for shooting is very damaging to the environment.

“Research published earlier this year by the University of Leeds found that burning grouse moors degrades peatland habitat, releases climate-altering gases, reduces biodiversity and increases flood risk.”

Councillor Forsaith also attacked the claims that the hunting industry improved biodiversity on moorland saying,

“Far from protecting biodiversity on our moors, the shooting industry is leading to the loss of biodiversity in favour of one species – the red grouse.

“The industry is linked to the mass killing of potential grouse predators such as foxes, weasels, stoats, crows and ravens, often in traps and snares that also trap many other animals, wild and domestic.

“Then, there’s the illegal shooting of rare and protected birds of prey happening up and down the country – coincidentally mostly near estates connected with grouse shoots.”

In its policy statements sets out its opposition to the hunting industry and all blood sports. The party is opposed to the killing of, or infliction of pain or suffering upon, animals in the name of sport or leisure, and pledges to work to end all such practices.

The post Green councillor protests hunting advert in Yorkshire Post appeared first on Yorkshire & The Humber Green Party.