St Helens Labour have declared a climate emergency and as part of action to address the issue have announced a ban on the use of single use plastics in Council operations.

St Helens Council is supporting the Liverpool City Region Year of the Environment, and at last night’s full council meeting agreed a motion pledging our support to the City Region’s goal of being zero-carbon by 2040. Read the full motion here: http://moderngov.sthelens.gov.uk/documents/s86725/Motion%203.pdf.

The motion was brought by Councillor Mancyia Uddin, Labour Spokesperson for Climate Change. Speaking in the chamber, Cllr Uddin said: “As much as we think we work on our own timetables, make our rules, we don’t. In a competition between the earth and humans, the earth will win, every single time. All of this abnormal and extreme weather is the earth’s way of telling us we need to change; we need to change our behaviours and the way we operate as a society.

It isn’t going to be easy. Addressing the issues requires a big, big shift in our thinking and as difficult as it may be, it needs to be done. We need to be driven by morals and justice, not money and profit.

And we need to stop thinking about climate change as restrictions and start thinking of it as an opportunity to do things differently. Dealing with climate change is not about stopping anything, rather, it’s about finding innovative ways to work so that we can continue do the things we need to do with minimal effects.

It’s going to take time, money and patience. There are local issues such as cuts to funding and the governments cancellation of our zero-carbon commitment and bigger global issues, for example, the whole economic model that governs our society is no friend to the earth.

With that in mind, it is important to remember these next few years are crucial; this really is the last chance we have to steer the world into a better and safer direction so that future generations have a chance of enjoying the world as we have.”

Councillor Lynn Clarke, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services who announced the end to single use plastic, says: “Climate Change is a significantly important issue that affects each and every one of us. We have all seen the devastation caused by plastics ending up in our oceans, brought to us vividly by David Attenborough and others. That’s why I was proud to second the Climate Change Motion brought forward by Cllr Uddin at last night’s Council meeting and why, in my speech, I was proud to announce that the Council is to halt the use of single use plastics, which will be embedded across the Council this year.

This action complements the introduction in January, of our policy to recycle the vast majority of plastics used by residents; collected weekly and recycled here in the UK.”

Watch Councillor Uddin’s speech and the debate here: https://sthelens.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/425978/start_time/2724000