Council Transport Plan is not fit for purpose

Air quality in Warrington does not seem to be very high in Warrington Borough Council's priorities. A recent report by Manchester University called Setting Climate Commitments for Warrington indicates that the Council's Local Plan and its Transport Plan, known as LTP4, are in breach of the commitments enshrined in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Councillor Sharon Harris, who is the Warrington Liberal Democrats spokesperson for Transport and a Borough Councillor for Appleton says: Since lockdown, it is becoming apparent that residents are becoming more and more aware of the effects of air quality on their health and wellbeing.

Warrington declared a 'Climate Emergency in June 2019 and published a 'Green Energy Strategy' in September 2019. Yet it continues to pursue outdated policies which do not reflect changing patterns of work and ways of living. For Warrington to make its 'fair share' towards lower carbon emissions, it will have to take a wide range of measures to reduce fossil fuel use. This includes a move away from plans to build more roads which will encourage more car use on an already badly congested road infrastructure.

Warrington has a £4,000 underspend on air quality monitoring which has been set aside for further projects. It is quite shocking to see how little importance the Borough Council is giving to this issue. The Council needs to wake up and take the issue seriously. It would be interesting to know how many Warrington residents have died prematurely due to diseases that may be related to poor air quality. The Council is just paying lip service to their stated good intentions. Actions really do speak louder than words.