'Take a different path' - Protestors gather outside Shropshire Council HQ as new administration takes the helm - here are their demands
A coalition of climate and anti-racism campaigners welcomed councillors this morning as Shropshire Council met for the first time since the local elections.
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Representatives from Extinction Rebellion Shrewsbury, Better Shrewsbury Transport, Fossil Free Shropshire, Shrewsbury Vegans, Stand up to Racism and Up Sewage Creek, were present outside the authority’s Guildhall headquarters in Shrewsbury with a banner that read ‘Love Not Hate, We Grow As One’.
The groups are calling for the council’s new Liberal Democrat administration to urgently use its power to tackle climate and nature issues and build a fairer, more sustainable future for everyone in Shropshire after years of ‘Conservative division, delay and denial’.
Jo Blackman, representing Extinction Rebellion Shrewsbury, said: “We are members of local groups who are working for a safe, fair, inclusive and sustainable Shropshire.
“We are extremely concerned about the climate and nature emergency and its devastating consequences for communities in Shropshire, across the UK and globally, as well as for wildlife and the natural world.
“We are also concerned about the rise in racism and the increased scapegoating of marginalised groups.
“For years we’ve watched in horror as the previous Conservative administration refused to tackle these issues preferring instead division, delay, and denial.
“We hope that the new council takes a different path. That’s why we’re calling on councillors to individually and collectively use their position to build a future that is sustainable, inclusive and hopeful for all.
“We hope that they will rise to the challenge facing us as the climate and nature crisis deepens and the rise of fascism sweeps across Shropshire.”
In a letter given to councillors, the coalition of groups called for them to: urgently review the council’s Climate Emergency Strategy & Climate Action Plan; re-establish and expand the council’s Climate Action Task Force; divest from fossil fuels and from arms companies; commit to anti-racism and valuing diversity and offer a warm welcome and safe accommodation for asylum-seekers and refugees.
They also call for the authority to cancel the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road project and invest in active travel, in particular better bus services and cycling infrastructure; offer greater protection for wildlife habitats and for veteran trees; and protect the river and set up a local partnership to improve river health, among other suggestions.
