General Election
An important part of our work is to ensure that people and wildlife are recognised as a priority on the political agenda. As part of the Wildlife Trusts partnership we work to campaign at a national level on issues affecting wildlife – a recent success last year was the Marine and Coastal Access Bill which was considerably strengthened through our lobbying. By working with local MPs, city, county and parish councillors, we can ensure that our wildlife is given adequate consideration by the county's decision makers. Not only do our public bodies own large areas of land but the policies they set influence what happens elsewhere.
In the run-up to the general election, we asked candidates:
What do you consider to be the most important environmental issue in your constituency and, if elected, how would you use the office of MP to address this issue?
You can see the responses we received from those candidates who were elected by choosing from the map below. If there is no entry, this is because the candidate did not send us an individual response.
To find out which electoral district you are in, you can enter your postcode on www.writetothem.com
Amber Valley
Nigel Mills (Conservative)
No response received.
Bolsover
Dennis Skinner (Labour)
When I was a young miner living in the heart of Derbyshire I was underground for 8 hours a day and I spent most of my waking hours outdoors in the wonderful countryside. Some of the time I would be playing football, cricket and tennis on the miners' welfare grounds but the rest of the time I would be cross-country running through the woods and fields close to Ashover and Matlock. Like most miners I battled against mother nature underground but the rest of the time I was enjoying the drama, anticipation and delight of the seasons. Every year I never failed to search for mushrooms, look for filbert (hedge) nuts in September and hope the frost had not damaged the sweet chestnuts in late October and November. Even today, after 70 years, I still know where to look for the fruits of the area of Derbyshire where I have spent my whole life. As a constituency MP, I never failed to remember my environment. I opposed opencasting. I pleaded with the Labour Government to introduce a Coalfield Plan and succeeded. The Coalfield Plan removed the slag heaps, built new factories on the industrial land and preserved the surrounding countryside even at Pleasley and Markham Pits where hundreds of acres are now established as country parks. Finally my achievements in 'cadging' large amounts of money for ancient sites including Creswell Crags has resulted in a wonderful tourist site set in a beautiful rural area being transformed. It is obviously apparent I want to see new generations with jobs but I want them to enjoy the pleasures of the Derbyshire rural landscape as well and as I walk around my favourite haunts, I still get a warm feeling!
Chesterfield
Toby Perkins (Labour)
My views on our interaction with wildlife embody my philosophy on the wider political economic and environmental issues. Namely that political decisions should be taken with a mind towards co-operation and catering for the needs of all. I have been selected to be a climate leader as part of a programme co-ordinated by Green Alliance to ensure that the environmental lobby is given powerful new voices in parliament. I see it as my immediate priority to affect change locally whilst also lobbying to enhance awareness of biodiversity issues in Parliament. I am keen to see a Nature Reserve incorporated into the plan for Chesterfield's Waterside Redevelopment. I would like to see Chesterfield become a green champion where the opportunities presented to us for green collar jobs, environmental tourism and the building of green homes and industries work in harmony, and the major developments planned present that opportunity. Wildlife, biodiversity and our environment need not be at the cost of economical prosperity, but can actually contribute to our plans for the new economy. In conjunction with my strict opposition to unnecessary wildlife cruelty especially 'blood sports', I would vote against any attempt to re-introduce fox hunting.
Derby North
Chris Williamson (Labour)
Addressing climate change. I would therefore support steps to create jobs in the green home industry and support measures to enable householders to benefit from a 'pay as you save' green finance scheme for energy efficiency and clean energy generation measures. This is vital because around a quarter of UK emissions come from energy used in homes. I'd also press for energy efficiency standards in rented homes to keep bills down for tenants, such as the £3m I secured at last Monday's budget setting meeting at Derby City Council to install PV cells in 300 council dwellings. However, my calls to set aside funding to provide energy efficiency grants to private households was sadly rejected. As an MP though, I would try to secure measures to make homes more energy efficient to help protect people from upward pressure on bills, tackle climate change, and make Britain less reliant on imported energy. Derby is well placed to take advantage of the new green jobs and will do all I can to make sure these new jobs come Derby for the benefit of local residents.
Derby South
Margaret Beckett (Labour)
No response received.
Derbyshire Dales
Patrick McLoughlin (Conservative)
We will take action to protect and enhance our natural environment from the pressures of climate change, over-exploitation of resources and development. Our National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty protect some of our most spectacular and special countryside and must be maintained. As well as targeted action to help protected habitats and species, we also need to take a broader ecosystem approach which improves the landscape as a whole. To help reverse biodiversity loss, we will examine the case for introducing a system of conservation credits in England to provide an incentive to invest in biodiversity and help communities take action when a development takes place. We will encourage measure to engage people in local nature sites as well as looking at ways to pool resources to create large projects such as new wetlands, woodland or wildlife reserves. We will also look at ways to help link up habitats to help wildlife adapt to climate change. If publicly owned communal green space is threatened or sold, local groups will have a Community Right to Buy to take over the land, provided they maintain it for public use. We recognise the many benefits of our woodlands, which are important for biodiversity, store carbon, contribute to our wellbeing and provide raw materials.
Erewash
Jessica Lee (Conservative)
No response received.
High Peak
Andrew Bingham (Conservative)
Having had discussions with several local people around the wildlife of the area I believe that the natural habitat of wildlife in the High Peak is crucial. The moorlands as we see them do not happen by accident and need great attention to maintain the fragile eco balance that supports and sustains the wildlife. I have had discussions with local experts and am led to believe that so much more could be done and that local knowledge and expertise is not being fully utilised or acknowledged. If elected I would like to use my position to ensure that all the relevant agencies were working together on an agreed plan taking into account the vast amount of local knowledge to preserve these areas. Not only are they areas of outstanding natural beauty that attracts visitors and therefore benefits the economy, but they help support a wide range of wildlife and have numerous environmental benefits too. If I do become the next MP for the High Peak I would look to meet with members of the DWT to listen to their thoughts and opinions as I believe that meeting with and listening to people is crucial to fulfilling the role of Member of Parliament.
Mid Derbyshire
Pauline Latham (Conservative)
I passionately believe that we must protect our wildlife and our environment in Derbyshire and will support the work of the Wildlife Trust here. I am concerned that our water supply faces pressures from reduced river flows, industrial pollution and growing demand, although the River Derwent is much cleaner now than in the past. I will support action to protect and enhance our natural environment from the pressures of climate change, over-exploitation of resources and development. As well as targeted help for protected habitats and species we also need to take a broader ecosystem approach which improves the landscape as a whole. To help reverse biodiversity loss, I will support the Conservative Parties policy to examine the case for introducing a system of conservation credits in England to provide an incentive to invest in biodiversity. Whilst I was Mayor of Derby 2007/8 I promoted clean rivers by putting in several hundred baby salmon which can now survive in the River Derwent. I will support the installation of fish ladders so that salmon can now get up the river to spawn. Volunteers who care about their very local environment work so hard and contribute so much. I will support all they do whether as a ‘Friend’ of the various parks like Allestree or the ‘Friends’ of Chaddesden Wood or all those volunteers who planted thousands of trees in Derbyshire recently to make Derbyshire and particularly Mid Derbyshire a better place to live.
North East Derbyshire
Natascha Engel (Labour)
Most of North East Derbyshire is rural. There are many towns and villages, but much of it is countryside. Its history is industrial and ex-mining. Much of the land is therefore still suffering the consequences of heavy pollution. The Labour government has spent millions of pounds cleaning up areas like Wingerworth and Grassmoor, regenerating Clay Cross and Markham Vale to provide not only clean land and wildlife reserves, but employment. But because of its history, it is tempting to keep dumping on the area, and planning applications for incinerators, Waste Transfer Stations and composting facilities are submitted without any real previous consultation with residents. They cause deep concern for people's health. At the same time, everyone knows that we must take responsibility for creating the waste in the first place. If re-elected, one of my key priorities will be to work towards a locally-led integrated environmental policy. We must look at better ways of managing our waste and creating energy. We need to involve farmers better with composting and energy production. And we need to look at the way we produce our food. All these are intimately connected and I will work with everyone in North East Derbyshire to ensure that we make that link.
South Derbyshire
Heather Wheeler (Conservative)
To retain and enhance important areas of bio-diversity in South Derbyshire. We have so many examples around South Derbyshire where communities have come together to retain and then give continuing support to areas of bio-diversity, from Hilton to Hatton to Willington to Barrow to Swadlincote Woodlands. One of the reasons we have been so successful in achieving this is because of where we are geographically. The pay back to our people for having to put up with gravel extraction and landfill noise and mess are excellent use of levies to re-instate and protect our special environments. The ongoing threat of a further 12,000 homes being imposed as a target for growth in SD, a target I absolutely reject, gives us even greater incentive to be vigilant and protect our area as best as we can. Protecting wildlife is so important to people in SD that it has become a mainstay for eco-tourism. Tourism in SD is now responsible for generating 25% of the local economy. Another great reason to protect where we live. As your MP I will encourage Authorities to use their powers to protect sites and work with Developers to retain and enhance our beautiful South Derbyshire.