Take Action – urge your local party to respond!
As part of our Better Plan for GM campaign, we emailed the Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Reform Parties in all 10 boroughs of Greater Manchester. We requested their responses to our 5 key demands for improving transport in the city region, so people can get around safely and easily using options such as public transport, walking, cycling or using mobility aids, without feeling their only option is often to drive. We did this on 7th and 8th April, giving the local parties a week to respond.
Disappointingly, we have only received 11 responses so far – these come from 3 local Liberal Democrat parties, 7 local Green parties and 1 local Labour party. We have had no responses from any local Conservative or Reform Parties.
More positively, the responses we have received have been strongly positive. Slight reservations have been expressed about our proposal on ‘low traffic homes’ (i.e. that new housing should be planned to promote choice of transport and reduce car-dependence), in the one Labour and three Liberal Democrat responses we have received. Apart from that, all proposals have been strongly supported in all 10 of the responses received to date.
We summarise below the responses we have received so far.
Take Action
Where a local party has not yet responded, we have provided the contact details for the party. For any local parties in your own borough that have not responded, please contact them, noting that you are a local voter, and urging them to respond to the 5 key demands of the Better Plan for GM campaign. For each demand, ask the party to say whether they strongly support it, support it with minor reservations, partly support it but with significant reservations, or whether they would provide little or no support for it.
Please ask them to copy their response to hello@lowtrafficfuture.
Bolton
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands to office@boltonconservatives.org.uk
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to info@bolton.greenparty.org.uk
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to office@boltonconservatives.org.uk
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send via www.bolton-libdems.org.uk/contacts
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to boltonforchange@gmail.com
Bury
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to office@buryconservatives.org.uk
The Salford and Bury Green Party confirmed that they “would strongly support all of these measures, in fact some members saying they wanted them to be even more ambitious!”
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to E.OBrien@bury.gov.uk
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to info@burylibdems.net
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to chair.bury@reformuk.com
Manchester
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send via www.manchesterconservatives.com/contact
- Better public transport. Bus re-regulation provides opportunities to make the network more integrated, so that it meets everyone’s needs better. Orbital bus routes particularly need improving, while tram or light rail extensions should be considered on radial routes. Door-to-door accessibility is crucial for all public transport journeys. The £2 bus fare cap should be retained and extended to all public transport in GM, with free travel for those aged under 22. The Starling hire-bike scheme should be extended across the whole city region.
- Prioritising road and path maintenance. Agree this is a top priority. Opportunities should be taken not just to reverse damage but to make improvements. The Greens would oppose road schemes that would induce demand for cars.
- Walking, wheeling, cycling and safer streets. Manchester should take a ‘whole systems approach’ to eliminating all fatal and serious road injuries, i.e. adopting ‘Vision Zero’. Active travel should be the default for school travel, including provision of safe routes, sheltered cycle and scooter parking, and school streets (backed by staffing and enforcement). Pavements should be free of obstructions, including parked cars. The removal of inaccessible barriers should be prioritised. While Manchester’s cycle-friendly ‘CYCLOPS’ junctions are welcome, there are still too many junctions with no green-light crossings for pedestrians. More ‘quick win’ protected cycle lanes are needed on strategic routes, while other existing cycle routes need extending (e.g. Oldham Road) or upgrading (e.g. Oxford Road, this hugely popular route needs increased capacity).
- Low traffic homes. New developments should either be located close to existing services, or should have those services provided as part of the development. They should improve sustainable transport connectivity both within the development and in the surrounding area.
- Ambitious targets. Changes to transport networks require political will, backed up by evidence and good public engagement. The removal of the Withinton Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme, even though it was working well, highlights the need for more political bravery.
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to manchestercentralclp@gmail.com
Responding for the Manchester Liberal Democrats, Jackie Pearcey (who was the LibDems’ candidate in the recent Gorton and Denton by-election) said, “your requests are very much in line with our policies, to make the City more pedestrian friendly, improve public transport and to reduce reliance on cars. As a result I can say that we strongly support them all, but with one caveat”.
That caveat related to the importance of consulting local communities properly when implementing Low Traffic Areas, as some in Manchester have been “imposed on local residents without proper consultation”, causing “unnecessary resentment which would have been avoided with proper upfront consultation.”
We replied, agreeing on the importance of proper consultation. However we also pointed to the need to distinguish between genuine local concerns and die-hard opponents, who often try to make out that they represent public opinion when this is usually not the case. We also pointed to the electoral successes of local politicians who have faced down synthetic opposition. Jackie Pearcey agreed that “leadership is required, as well as the ability to tell the difference between genuine local concerns and people who would be opposed no matter what.” She hoped that “Liberal Democrat Councillors would be sufficiently in tune with the areas that we represent to be familiar with traffic flows as well as understanding the genuine community concerns.”
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send via chair.manchester@reformuk.com
Oldham
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to max.woodvine@oldham.gov.uk
- Public transport: Buses are the foundation of our town’s public transport network. Their routes are flexible and they use finite road-space very efficiently. They must be planned so residents can use them for the majority of their commutes.
- Road and path maintenance: Well maintained roads are important for safety and minimising costs for businesses and residents. We are also aware of several injuries caused by cracked pavements in our wards.
- Walking, cycling and safer streets: Safety must come before convenience. We will make our streets safe for pedestrians and cyclists and tackle pavement parking. Children could once play in the street – our outdoor spaces should be managed to benefit people not cars.
- Low traffic homes: Localisation is better for our local economies, health and environment, rather than designing our economies around long commutes and out-of-town shopping.
- Ambitious targets: People can feel that car ownership is essential and part of their identity. Yet they will also support good public transport when they see the personal cost-savings and the wider benefits, e.g. reduced congestion, safer streets, improved local environments and stronger local economies.
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to oldhamlabourparty@gmail.com
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to enquiries@oldhamlibdems.email
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to chair.oldham@reformuk.com
Rochdale
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to office@hmnrconservatives.org.uk
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to admin@rochdale.greenparty.org.uk
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send via https://www.facebook.com/LabourRochdale/
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to office@boltonconservatives.org.uk
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to reformukrochdalecllrs@gmail.com
Salford
There is a single local Green Party group for Salford and Bury. So the response for Salford is the same as for Bury, namely that the party strongly supports all 5 of our key demands, with “some members saying they wanted them to be even more ambitious!”
Paul Heilbron, leader of the Salford Liberal Democrats, confirmed that the local party “strongly” supported 4 of our 5 key demands, as well as “mostly” supporting the fifth one, namely the call for “low traffic homes”. However he did not explain the reservations that meant they felt unable to “strongly” support this fifth demand.
Stockport
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to info@stockportconservatives.org.uk
David Carter, Coordinator of the Stockport Green Party, said the local party strongly supported all 5 key demands. As evidence, he pointed to the following commitments from the local party’s 2024 manifesto:
- “Public Transport: Press for a properly integrated and sustainable service, covering buses, trains, and trams with increased capacity, frequency and accessibility (including ticketing).” and “Metrolink: Support the extension of Metrolink trams to Stockport and Marple.”
- “Roads: If the A6 bypass plan through the Goyt Valley is ever resurrected we will oppose it.” He added that the A6 bypass has now been resurrected, and one of the group’s Councillors had spoken out against it in a recent Stockport Council meeting.
- “Active Travel: Create a safe environment for walkers and cyclists through the provision of pedestrian only areas, pedestrian routes, cycle lanes and secure cycle storage.” He also noted that a local green Councillor had created a petition to Stockport Council and that the group continues to press for more action on this.
- “Integrated Development: Protect the Green Belt. New housing should be built close to transport and shopping hubs and on brownfield sites. This will reduce the need for private cars and so reduce air pollution and re-invigorate our town and local centres.”
- Public transport: The group “strongly” supported the improvements achieved through public control of the Bee Network, adding that they “will continue to work with the Mayor” to help expand affordable ticketing, noting that free all day travel for older and disabled persons, 16-18 year olds and care leavers is “transforming lives”.
- Prioritising the maintenance of existing roads and paths over building new road schemes: this was “strongly” supported, having been “a long term policy of the Labour Group.”
- Walking, wheeling, cycling and safer streets: this was “strongly” supported. He noted that Stockport Labour Group had led scrutiny reivews on forming a Stockport Cycling Strategy and on Parking Enforcement, the latter focusing on the impacts of irresponsible and illegal parking on walkers, wheelers and cyclists, The group had also recently proposed a motion to accelerate its roll out of 20mph schemes and had secured a review of urban 40mph limits.
- Low Traffic Homes: this was “mostly” supported, but with the reservation that there is a housing crisis, caused by the previous national government and current local council “neglecting their duty to allow building of adequate decent and affordable homes”. He said that new homes “should be connected to existing infrastructure with high quality affordable active travel and public transport options”.
- Ambitious targets: this was “strongly supported”, noting that “Stockport Labour Group has consistently stood up for better active travel and public transport offerings.”
- Public transport: Stockport LibDems are fully supportive of improving public transport, and have pressed Andy Burnham to extend the hours for older and disabled people’s bus passes, reflecting national LibDem policy.
- Road and path maintenance: they fully recognise the importance of this and have lobbied for increased funding for this both within GM and nationally.
- Active travel and safer streets: they have pushed for more 20mph when in opposition. Having returned to power in Stockport, they have adopted a more progressive stance on removing barriers which impede disabled people and others on walking and ‘greeenway’ routes. They have also rolled out 20mph, school streets and inclusive active travel schemes and will continue to do so.
- Low Traffic Homes: LibDems are resistant to Labour pressures to deliver housing targets regardless of local communities’ views. They cite the Stockport Town Centre regeneration as “a perfect example of the principle of building new homes where the infrastructure is there to match”, adding that ” the best way to build new homes is in areas that are sustainable for all residents and have had suitable engagement from relevant local stakeholders”.
- Ambitious targets: they fully recognise the need for rapid action to reach carbon neutrality targets, adding that environmental improvement measures must also directly improve people’s lives. They will publish a Local Transport Strategy following consultation in the summer and will also seek to shape GM-wide strategies, e.g. on achieving ‘Vision Zero’.
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to chair.stockport@reformuk.com
Tameside
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to info@tamesideconservatives.org.uk
Glenn Piper, the local Party’s election officer, confirmed that the group strongly supports all 5 of our key demands.
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send via tameside.moderngov.co.uk/mggeneric.aspx?MD=Members%20of%20the%20Executive
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to our Key Demands via tameside.focusteam.org.uk/join-us-and-help-build-a-more-liberal-britain/
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to chair.tameside@reformuk.com
Trafford
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to mail@traffordconservatives.com
A positive response was received as follows: “These demands are fundamental core principles of the Green Party of England and Wales and certainly for Trafford Green Party too. All 5 demands are strongly supported.”
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to enquiries@traffordlabour.org.uk
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to chair.stretfordurmston@reformuk.com
Wigan
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands.
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to chair@wiganandleigh.greenparty.org.uk
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to vicky.labour@outlook.com
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to info@wlmlibdems.org.uk
No responses yet received. Please contact your local party and encourage them to respond to our Key Demands. Send to chair.wigan@reformuk.com
