Campaigners quiz MP on climate issues

FREDDIE van Mierlo told climate activists he is concerned about progress on climate and nature following the rise of Reform UK.

The Henley MP was speaking at a climate lobby held at Sonning Common village hall on Thursday last week.

He heard presentations from eight representatives from environmental groups, including Greener Henley and Eco-
Soco before taking questions.

Mr van Mierlo said: “I do deeply worry about the future UK political landscape and the way that Reform leads polls and their climate denial tendencies and the way that has also pulled the Conservatives over to that direction as well.

“We, locally, will be fighting hard to fly the flag for progressive politics for action on climate and nature but also across a wide range of issues that will be part of the public discourse and narrative, unfortunately, for probably quite a few years to come.”

Reform’s climate policy centres on scrapping the UK’s net-zero targets, dismantling renewable energy subsidies, and accelerating fossil fuel extraction through new North Sea oil and gas licences and shale gas trials.

The climate lobby was the first in a series of events that have been planned by Gillian Scozzafava, who lives in Kennylands Road.

She is a member of Greenpeace and decided to organise the event after attending a mass lobby in Westminster in July.

Mrs Scozzafava said: “This meeting is a chance for people who may not have spoken up before, to tell their MP how important our climate is.” She hopes to hold three events a year with Mr van Mierlo.

Julie Shorter, who is the head of the village’s climate action group Eco-Soco, updated the MP on its achievements, which included saving 500 items from landfill in its repair café.

She added that the group was planning to help launch Sonning Common’s first-ever environmental strategy in conjunction with the parish council.

Ms Shorter asked Mr van Mierlo if more funding could be made available to support the repair café, which is held monthly in the village hall. He agreed to write to Oxfordshire County Council, which runs recycling centres, to explore how it can better support local initiatives.

Nemone Caldwell, who lives on a boat on the Thames between the Shiplake, Henley and Hambleden area spoke on behalf of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, about the threat of greenfield development in Henley.

She said: “There’s no telling that despite the strong national emphasis on net zero and local ambitions for nature recovery, the planning system still tilts towards releasing greenfield land while brownfield sites remain underused.”

Ms Caldwell asked Mr van Mierlo if he would support protecting these sights. He replied saying he supported revising the National Planning Policy Framework to prioritise climate, nature and resilience.

Paul Waterman presented a slide show on the Sonning Common Cycleway project, which aims to build a safe cycle path for bikes, mobility scooters and pedestrians between the village and Emmer Green.

Other speakers included Kate Oldridge, the executive director of Greener Henley, Vicky Boorman, chair of Sonning Common parish council and Charlie Clift, 17, representing Teach the Future.