Environmental issues top of the agenda in Sheffield as hundreds of people take part in local election hustings

More than 250 people attended a local elections hustings organised by a group of environmental organisations in Sheffield.
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Sheffield Climate Alliance invited voters to send in questions on an environmental theme to candidates standing for election to Sheffield Council and six different sessions were held online.

Participants were invited to pose questions on a range of topics from waste and recycling to nature recovery, green jobs and the pathways to zero carbon report recently published for the city.

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The broad topic areas were often repeated at sessions, though always focussed on a slightly different question from the audience.

Hustings event.Hustings event.
Hustings event.

Lindy Stone, coordinator of Sheffield Friends of the Earth and one of the organisers said: “We were delighted at the response to these hustings, from residents and candidates alike.

“Green Party, Labour and the Liberal Democrat representatives took part in every session and their responses were detailed and thoughtful. We were only disappointed that the local Conservative Party turned down our invitation to take part.

“This is a very important year with vital global climate talks happening in Glasgow in November where world leaders will make global decisions to cut CO2 emissions, but candidates recognised that many of the actions needed will be at the very local level.”

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Christine Gilligan Kubo, a Green Party member, said: “It’s been very encouraging to receive a lot more enquiries this year from voters so it’s great that the Sheffield Climate Alliance has organised these events to open up new opportunities for voters to connect to candidates.”

Dr Will Sapwell, a Liberal Democrat member, said: “The hustings were a great opportunity to show how serious an issue the environment is and to highlight the practical ways forward that the party must consider.”

And Alison Norris, a Labour representative, added: “I really welcomed the chance to hear people’s concerns and was encouraged that the candidates in my hustings broadly agreed on the action needed in Sheffield to tackle the climate emergency, and shared creative ideas for ways forward.”