The World’s climate has been changing for some time now. Our biodiversity is being degraded daily. In 2021 we had the failed Glasgow COP26 (the COP rounds since have just been ‘trade-fairs’ for the petrochemical industry). In February the following year, the river Mersey burst its banks due to heavy rain and emergency flood arrangements had to be activated. When visiting the area a few days after, thousands of empty plastic drinks bottles were washed-up and strewn everywhere, a complete assault on our surroundings, our environment.
These are a few examples of the degraded world we now live in. Human caused climate change and environmental damage is happening all around us, yet we carry on as normal, sleep-walking towards a man-made catastrophe. We are in a crisis and, as David Attenborough has said; “we each individually need to do something” to avoid the destruction of the world as we know it.
So, I joined the Green Party.
I was born and raised in Lancaster and then, much travelled and enlightened, I eventually beached in Stockport in 1990; the first 10 years being spent in Heaton Moor, with the remaining 24 years living in Cheadle Hulme. I like Stockport. It’s an honest town and has much to recommend it.
My professional background is in Mechanical Engineering. Having worked in both industry and academia my knowledge of the subject is both theoretical and practical; I completed a ‘proper’ apprenticeship when I was younger and later, as a mature student, I was awarded a BEng(Hons) Mech Eng from UMIST. After 25 years working as a Senior Lecturer in FE and HE Education, I am now happily retired with my wife and 9yr old child, who attends our local Primary School. My older children having grown up and left the nest. We see ourselves as part of the Cheadle Hulme community.
My priorities for Stockport would be to maintain and enhance its biodiversity, see greater priority given to walking, cycling and public transport, including an appropriate, useable and convenient cycle network, the enforcement of speed limits on our roads and a reduction in congestion and its polluting effect. I believe in ‘localism’ and the support of local shops and businesses.
Also, to limit noise and disturbance, Manchester Airport’s flying curfew of 10pm–6am needs to be consistently applied and adhered to.