Latest news with #SianBerry
Powys County Times
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Weedkiller ban could help swifts, starlings and toads thrive, says MP
Banning toxic weedkillers could support swifts, starlings and toads in towns and cities, an MP has said ahead of a debate in Parliament. The Green Party's Sian Berry has proposed a public sector ban on the chemicals, which councils can currently use to destroy 'undesired plants' in areas which they manage. Ms Berry told the PA news agency that the Government had demonstrated 'worrying attitudes to nature from the Government in quite a few of their policies', but added the ban is a move that lawmakers can 'genuinely do for nature to make up for that slightly'. MPs are due to debate Ms Berry's Plant Protection Products (Prohibition on Public Sector Use) Bill on Friday which, if agreed, would block English town halls from using certain professional-grade chemicals on land such as verges and parks after 2028. It would extend to other public authorities in England after 2031. 'We are taking steps towards solving the nature crisis in the UK,' Ms Berry said. 'We're trying to make sure that, at the very least, local authorities, town and cities don't use the really bleakly effective and quite toxic chemical glyphosate in our towns and cities where people might come into contact with it, and where it's going to have a really dramatic effect on the biodiversity of streets and parks and council estates and other areas that local authorities manage.' The MP said an ongoing 'nature crisis' was 'a lot to do with insects but then also the other species that insects support, so you've got birds that depend on having insects well supported within cities'. She warned that cities feature 'vast areas where there are no biodiversity, there are no links between the biodiverse areas'. The MP for Brighton Pavilion said: 'Swifts are in huge decline. They do nothing all day but fly around eating insects. 'Starlings, other birds that really do need that biodiversity in order to thrive. 'In Brighton, we've got a twitten (a Sussex narrow lane) that runs between two streets on a steep hill, that is known as the 'toad road' because it's literally where the amphibians will migrate between gardens in order to spread out and be biodiverse throughout the city. 'Getting them to stop spraying that is really, really important because the plants that grow up around the edges of that are exactly where those amphibians will hide when they're migrating, so there's lots of different ways in which a small amount of plants growing in sensible places around the city streets is a really, really good idea for biodiversity.' Ms Berry added: 'From going to war on bats and newts, which is very harsh – bats and newts are great – to talking about parts of the green belt as grey belt, as denigrating areas that might be overgrown or scruffy, when actually those are incredibly biodiverse areas. 'And if we're going to be developing them, we have to be very, very careful.' She warned that councils 'have been horrendously squeezed and manual weeding can take some budget up in terms of paying people to do a bit more work than if they just wander down the street spraying chemicals everywhere', but called for 'dedicated funding' to help authorities fund the move. Some authorities have already stopped using glyphosate. South Kesteven District Council in Lincolnshire agreed to reduce its use of the chemical last month. Councillor Rhys Baker, the authority's environment and waste cabinet member, said in a statement that the authority would 'strive for viable alternatives to minimise its use for the future which would best protect our biodiversity and ecology', at the same time 'balancing aesthetics, safety, cost and biodiversity'. But Brighton and Hove City Council in East Sussex brought in a 'controlled-droplet application of glyphosate' last year, after 'relying solely on manual weeding' for five years. The authority's environment committee chairman councillor Tim Rowkins vowed at the time not to use the chemical on wildflowers 'unless they are presenting a hazard'. According to the council, roots broke up footpaths and weeds blocked drains. Richard Benwell, chief executive of the Wildlife and Countryside Link, said Ms Berry's Bill is 'an excellent proposal that would help free our urban environment from harmful and unnecessary chemical use'. He added: 'When they are sprayed around towns and cities, chemicals like glyphosate can kill off habitats and food sources for wildlife and add to the toxic cocktail polluting our rivers. 'Many public authorities in the UK and around the world have realised that this trigger-happy approach to chemical use is at odds with a green future.'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Weedkiller ban could help swifts, starlings and toads thrive, says MP
Banning toxic weedkillers could support swifts, starlings and toads in towns and cities, an MP has said ahead of a debate in Parliament. The Green Party's Sian Berry has proposed a public sector ban on the chemicals, which councils can currently use to destroy 'undesired plants' in areas which they manage. Ms Berry told the PA news agency that the Government had demonstrated 'worrying attitudes to nature from the Government in quite a few of their policies', but added the ban is a move that lawmakers can 'genuinely do for nature to make up for that slightly'. MPs are due to debate Ms Berry's Plant Protection Products (Prohibition on Public Sector Use) Bill on Friday which, if agreed, would block English town halls from using certain professional-grade chemicals on land such as verges and parks after 2028. It would extend to other public authorities in England after 2031. 'We are taking steps towards solving the nature crisis in the UK,' Ms Berry said. 'We're trying to make sure that, at the very least, local authorities, town and cities don't use the really bleakly effective and quite toxic chemical glyphosate in our towns and cities where people might come into contact with it, and where it's going to have a really dramatic effect on the biodiversity of streets and parks and council estates and other areas that local authorities manage.' The MP said an ongoing 'nature crisis' was 'a lot to do with insects but then also the other species that insects support, so you've got birds that depend on having insects well supported within cities'. She warned that cities feature 'vast areas where there are no biodiversity, there are no links between the biodiverse areas'. The MP for Brighton Pavilion said: 'Swifts are in huge decline. They do nothing all day but fly around eating insects. 'Starlings, other birds that really do need that biodiversity in order to thrive. 'In Brighton, we've got a twitten (a Sussex narrow lane) that runs between two streets on a steep hill, that is known as the 'toad road' because it's literally where the amphibians will migrate between gardens in order to spread out and be biodiverse throughout the city. 'Getting them to stop spraying that is really, really important because the plants that grow up around the edges of that are exactly where those amphibians will hide when they're migrating, so there's lots of different ways in which a small amount of plants growing in sensible places around the city streets is a really, really good idea for biodiversity.' Ms Berry added: 'From going to war on bats and newts, which is very harsh – bats and newts are great – to talking about parts of the green belt as grey belt, as denigrating areas that might be overgrown or scruffy, when actually those are incredibly biodiverse areas. 'And if we're going to be developing them, we have to be very, very careful.' She warned that councils 'have been horrendously squeezed and manual weeding can take some budget up in terms of paying people to do a bit more work than if they just wander down the street spraying chemicals everywhere', but called for 'dedicated funding' to help authorities fund the move. Some authorities have already stopped using glyphosate. South Kesteven District Council in Lincolnshire agreed to reduce its use of the chemical last month. Councillor Rhys Baker, the authority's environment and waste cabinet member, said in a statement that the authority would 'strive for viable alternatives to minimise its use for the future which would best protect our biodiversity and ecology', at the same time 'balancing aesthetics, safety, cost and biodiversity'. But Brighton and Hove City Council in East Sussex brought in a 'controlled-droplet application of glyphosate' last year, after 'relying solely on manual weeding' for five years. The authority's environment committee chairman councillor Tim Rowkins vowed at the time not to use the chemical on wildflowers 'unless they are presenting a hazard'. According to the council, roots broke up footpaths and weeds blocked drains. Richard Benwell, chief executive of the Wildlife and Countryside Link, said Ms Berry's Bill is 'an excellent proposal that would help free our urban environment from harmful and unnecessary chemical use'. He added: 'When they are sprayed around towns and cities, chemicals like glyphosate can kill off habitats and food sources for wildlife and add to the toxic cocktail polluting our rivers. 'Many public authorities in the UK and around the world have realised that this trigger-happy approach to chemical use is at odds with a green future.'
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'Disabled people are terrified of benefits cuts - Liz Kendall must listen to them'
Benefits claimants are living "in literal terror" over the government's welfare cuts that could see a million disabled people lose out on payments, an MP has told Yahoo News. Sian Berry, the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, said her inbox "has been absolutely filled up" since the government announced on Tuesday a series of cost-cutting measures, including limiting how many people are eligible for disability benefit PIP. Other controversial measures unveiled by the government include cutting off incapacity benefits for under 22s, as well as freezing universal credit payments for those who receive limited capability for work and work-related activity payments, also known as LCWRA. Experts say the measures, which Labour says will save taxpayers £5bn, will result in 1.2 million disabled people losing thousands of pounds in the overhaul. The government has said the plans will incentivise more people to work, tackle the bulging benefits bill, and ensure that those with the most severe disabilities do not have to go under reassessment and have their payments protected. Berry - who took over the Green's first and longest-held seat, Brighton Pavilion, from former party leader Caroline Lucas in July 2024 - told Yahoo News: "My inbox has absolutely filled up with people who are desperately worried. I've raised in Parliament that people have written to me in literal terror that this is about to happen. The government has caused enormous amounts of fear, and now it's going to cause enormous amounts of harm." Berry has staunchly opposed the cuts since reports emerged as to the scale of the reforms at the start of the month. She said she has written to every single Labour MP urging them to vote against them. One of those MPs includes work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, who announced the proposals in the Commons on Tuesday. Berry said: "One of the things I write to her about, is making sure that people know they can write in with their personal experiences. She needs to hear from the actual people affected by this. Initially, Berry had some "very good responses" from MPs outside of Labour. Now, she said, MPs are coming around to her thinking as she bids to rally enough voices to block the proposals from passing into law. However, given the size of Labour's majority in the Commons, it is likely the government would be able to overcome any rebellion by its own MPs. "I want to see a growing united group of MPs from the opposition and from the Labour back benches who are determined to just stop these plans going through in the current form," she added. The details behind the proposals are mapped out in the government's 'Get Britain Working' green paper — a name that has angered some campaigners because it includes reforms to PIP, a benefit that isn't linked to employment status. To add insult to injury, Berry discovered that the document detailing the plans didn't include any accessible versions for disabled people, such as large print documents or a braille edition for the visually impaired. If you want a clear illustration of the Government's disregard for really engaging with Disabled people, they have produced NO accessible versions of their plans today. — Sian Berry (@sianberry) March 18, 2025 "Honestly, I was astounded to see that," she told Yahoo News. "The government went to the media for weeks on end to get this document ready, and to not have accessible versions of these documents ready when most of the people affected will have a disability of some kind, including the campaigners who want to respond to it... "I'm glad that the government have said that the consultation will not begin until those accessible versions have been released." The cuts have been made ahead of the spring statement next Wednesday, which will see Chancellor Rachel Reeves deliver a wider update on the health of the UK economy. She will be responding to new forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), after the Bank of England reduced its forecasts for growth this year. The weaker growth figures, combined with higher-than-expected borrowing, are expected to put pressure on Reeves to increase taxes or cut spending in order to meet the financial rules she set at the budget. The Office for National Statistics released a gloomy forecast on Friday, with the government's year-to-year borrowing £20.4bn above forecast. While the government's spending is largely on track, a pressing issue is tax receipts being down, running £11.4bn below forecast in the year to February — pointing to a downturn in corporation tax payments, as well as income from self-assessments. Berry has questioned why the government isn't trying to reduce the deficit by pursuing a wealth tax. "There are millionaires crying out for a wealth tax," she said. "It is such a common policy around the world. It's got so much consent from the general public that we should be taxing wealth in some way. And the proposals are so small in terms of the percentage tax on wealth. "It's just ridiculous that the government is shying away from just doing something about the enormous wealth that's concentrated in this country instead of attacking people with the least." Yahoo News has approached the government for comment.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DWP fails to publish accessible version of disability cuts to PIP benefits
The government has been accused of showing "disregard" for engaging with disabled people after it published a consultation document on reforms to the benefits system without making any accessible versions available. A green paper inviting people to share their views was shared on the government website as Work and Pensions secretary Liz Kendall announced a host of reforms in Parliament on Tuesday. Read our live coverage of reaction to Labour's cuts to disability benefits here It seeks "views on the approaches government should consider around reform of the health and disability benefits system and employment support", except some people with certain disabilities may struggle to navigate the document in its current form. The lack of any accessible formats was highlighted by Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, Sian Berry, who in a post on X wrote: "If you want a clear illustration of the Government's disregard for really engaging with Disabled people, they have produced NO accessible versions of their plans today." If you want a clear illustration of the Government's disregard for really engaging with Disabled people, they have produced NO accessible versions of their plans today. — Sian Berry (@sianberry) March 18, 2025 On the consultation document, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says further accessible formats will be shared online "in due course". "The consultation will close 12 weeks after the point at which the accessible versions of this Green Paper are available," it adds. "We have published this paper ahead of all accessible versions to put detailed information about the matters subject to consultation in the public domain at the earliest opportunity, although the production of accessible versions requires additional time. "The consultation is currently set to close on 30 June, but this is subject to extension to ensure that the consultation will run for a full 12 weeks after all of the accessible versions of the paper are published." Despite the DWP's explanation, the lack of any accessible version at the first outset is likely to be seen as an additional kick in the teeth considering disabled people will be among those most affected by the government's reforms. Disability charity Scope described the changes as "most devastating cuts to disability benefits on record" and said the plans should "shame the government to its core". It said that while it supports the government's plans to invest in "tailored, non-compulsory employment support", this positive step will be "completely undermined" by "ripping £5 billion out of the benefits system by 2030". Read more What are the key benefit changes in Labour's welfare overhaul? From PIP to Universal Credit (The Independent) DWP disability benefit changes to Universal Credit, ESA and PIP confirmed (The Northern Echo) What UK politicians get paid and how it compares to other countries (LoveMoney)
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Local Green MP calls on council to be 'transparent' about i360 deal
A Green MP has called on the council to be 'transparent' about the sale of the i360. MP Sian Berry for Brighton Pavilion has reacted to the news that Nightcap Limited completed the takeover of the Brighton i360 on a 115-year lease. Ms Berry said that she welcomes the news that the i360 is 'given a new lease of life' and that it's important that residents are given 'full sight of the details'. She said: "This is great news for the local business owners who I know were worried about the potential for total demolition that was being discussed by some in the council, and I am excited to talk with the new owners about how we build up the positivity about this crucial area of our seafront. 'As things progress, it's important that the council is transparent about the sale and residents get full sight of the details, including the proportion of revenue the city will receive.' The Labour Party slammed the Greens for their involvement in agrreing the funding the i360 (Image: Eddie Mitchell)When the i360 was announced to be heading for administration in November, Brighton and Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey called for a formal apology from the Green Party for their role in the funding of the Brighton i360. The Labour Party slammed the Greens for their involvement in agreeing the financing of the project with £36 million of public money. The loan, agreed in 2014 under a Green minority administration, saw £36.2 million of taxpayer money used to finance the i360 project. Proposals to increase the loan from the Public Works Loan Board were voted through seven to three at a meeting in 2014 where then-Brighton Labour leader Warren Morgan said there was a 'question mark as to whether the council should undertake such a financial undertaking rather than it being for the developer to do so'. Accounts released in July showed that Brighton i360 Ltd paid £700,000 to the council in June 2022. The company has since been able to pay just £250,000 to the council from July 2022 to July 2024. Various councillors described their anger and frustration about the £51 million debt (Image: Andrew Gardner) On January 23, the council had a full council meeting at Hove Town Hall, in which various councillors described their anger and frustration before unanimously voting to clear the £51 million debt the i360 owed Brighton and Hove City Council. It was then revealed on Tuesday that Nightcap Limited, run by Sarah Willingham, announced that it completed the takeover of the i360 on a 115-year lease on the landmark. Cllr Jacob Taylor said: 'We are delighted that Nightcap has taken such a keen interest in revitalising the i360, and their passion and commitment to the city is evident. "We think this is the best option for the city – giving a fresh start for the attraction, and helping to ensure this important stretch of seafront can thrive.'
