Brent Cycling Campaign, along with other community groups are acting as Climate Ambassadors on behalf of Brent Council. This is to raise awareness of the Council’s Green Neighbourhood approach, to increase participation and more generally to further the understanding of the challenges we face due to the climate emergency.

This means promoting the current surveys in Kingsbury and in Church End / Roundwood and encouraging as many people as possible to use their voices to shape the future of their local area. The main themes are:

·        Walking and cycling

·        Food growing spaces

·        Healthy ecosystems and habitats to better support nature and wildlife

·        Green and energy efficient homes that are cheaper to keep warm in winter

·        Less waste and increased recycling

·        Green jobs and a thriving local economy

Addressing transport emissions is crucial to addressing climate change and decarbonisation cannot be achieved without drastically reducing motor traffic. Road transport also makes a significant contribution to nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter emissions in Brent:

• responsible for 48% of NOx emissions. NOx are a dangerous contributor to climate change.
• 30% of PM2.5 emissions and 25% of PM10 emissions. PMs are air pollutants but are also categorised as “short-lived climate pollutants (SCLPs)”
• In Brent alone, we emit 228,500 tonnes of CO2 from transport each year – 25% of the total of carbon emitted in the entire borough”

The Mayor of London has stated that we needed a 27% reduction to avert the worst effects in the capital.

We have agreed to formally be involved in this engagement exercise because unless the Council supports residents with alternatives to harmful and toxic car use, in this borough, where half of the households do not own a car, a large chunk of our environment will remain car-centric and this will continue to suppress choice for sustainable modes of transport.

We took the view that we may be the best placed to passionately defend the right to choose cycling and walking, and public transport over car use, especially for short, local journeys. And we also defend the right to demand from the council to enable us to do so safely, whatever our age or ability.

A £1000 payment was offered but we declined, instead, we requested that plant locks were to be purchased and installed in the two focus areas, locations to be chosen by local residents. In exchange, we agreed to get 50 people to respond to the surveys by the end of October and to directly engage with local groups to deliver a workshop on Climate Change and recycling, reuse and food waste.

So, we are now asking you to help us reach this target and to respond to the surveys if you have any genuine connection to the two focus areas. This means whether you live, study, work there, or regularly visit there. The consultations consist of one short survey each and an interactive map where you can drop pins to share your ideas as to what the council must do to make these areas healthier and cleaner.

In order for the council to track our engagement, you will need to indicate that Brent Cycling Campaign prompted you to respond so please add (BCC) somewhere in your response.

Thank you.