Clean air plan funding boost

LIVERPOOL City Council has been awarded an additional ₤652,000 by the Government to complete its clean air plan. The money will be used to accelerate the preparation of the document, which needs to be finished by the end of October 2019, and is in addition to ₤1 million which has already been received. The cash will pay for transport and air quality monitoring and modelling, and to identify ways in which the Council can ensure the City meets EU standards for nitrogen dioxide in the shortest possible time.

Liverpool recently declared a climate change emergency and has pledged to cut its carbon output to zero by 2030, appointed a dedicated cabinet member for environment and climate change and is setting up a new dedicated climate change select committee.

Work is already underway on a ₤45 million connectivity strategy in the City Centre to improve how people travel on a more environmentally sustainable basis, with an emphasis on upgrading the public realm for pedestrians and cyclists. In addition, the Council is also looking at how public transport and active travel can be prioritised, so that 1 is not at the expense of the other.

The Council is also a major partner in the ₤4m URBAN GreenUP project, which includes a new phase of tree planting in the City Centre. It is also investing in cycling and has already installed 100 bike stations, with Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson recently committing the Council to match a ₤2m fund to create new cycle routes.

The Council is undergoing a process of converting its own cleansing and refuse collection fleet away from diesel to alternative fuels, including electric and electric hybrid. A total of 20 compressed natural gas vehicles (CNG) are due to be introduced by Liverpool Street Services Ltd (LSSL) later this year. In addition, the City's Taxis are being encouraged to go electric or low emissions.

Mayor Joe Anderson recently submitted a 'green City deal' bid to the Government focused on helping make the City carbon neutral, while also delivering jobs, clean air, better health, smarter travel, green spaces and warm and cheap to heat homes.

Cabinet member for environment and climate change, Cllr Laura Robertson Collins, said:- "Our population is growing and that means higher levels of traffic which causes around 70% of air pollution across the City as a whole, with the worst air quality next to congested roads. The quality of air we breathe affects our health and wellbeing and we are all affected by it, particularly children and the elderly, and long term exposure can contribute to heart disease, stroke and respiratory diseases like asthma. The City wide clean air plan is a key piece of work to understand the challenges that we face and find ways to tackle the issue. We are leading by example, by changing our fleet of vehicles to be greener, encouraging hackney drivers to move over to less polluting vehicles and working with Merseytravel to deliver a better and cleaner bus service. We're looking to reduce traffic congestion in key areas and make improvements to roads and walkways to encourage people to walk and cycle more., but we cannot remove cars without providing a proper 21st Century public transport system, and I want us to be to be working much more closely with our transport partners on making improvements. We want Liverpool to have cleaner air so people live longer and a better quality of life."

A report recommending acceptance of the funding from the Government will be considered by the Council's Cabinet at a meeting, on Friday, 16 August 2019.
 

City's 1st black Lord Mayor 'excited and overwhelmed'

THE new Lord Mayor of Liverpool has revealed she wants to be a role model for the black community and encourage people to strive to achieve their goals, regardless of their background. Councillor Anna Rothery will be sworn in at a ceremony, at the Town Hall, on Wednesday, 4 September 2019, making history as the City's 1st ever black Lord Mayor. Her appointment follows Peter Brennan's resignation from the post in July 2019.

Breaking the mould isn't new territory for Councillor Rothery, as in 2012 she made political history by becoming the 1st Liverpool Councillor to address the floor of the United Nations in Geneva. During her speech to representatives from more than 50 countries, Anna talked about the City's minority communities and the work undertaken to get them to participate in politics.

Councillor Rothery became a Councillor in 2006 and is responsible for the Princes Park Ward; an area she was born and bred in. Anna attended St Silas Primary School and the former Paddington Comprehensive School, and continued her education by undertaking a number of Diplomas in various subjects including law, sociology and psychology. For more than 25 years, the new Lord Mayor has worked on business and community development initiatives, and now works as a consultant for Migrant Workers North West; an organisation which champion the rights of our diverse community. She is also the North West Ambassador for the British Institute of Human Rights.

Currently Mayoral Lead for equality and race, Anna has always put the community at the heart of her work. She is a key player in Operation Black Vote; a scheme to get more black people in to politics; and also plays an integral role in bringing various community, political and faith leaders locally, nationally and internationally together to deal with issues relating to inclusion, diversity and new and emerging communities. There is a particular focus on education, employment, business, cultural awareness and championing economic equality.

Anna regularly chairs events at the International Slavery Museum and is involved with the Slavery Remembrance Day celebrations and commemorations which will take place, on Friday, 23 August 2019.

A decision on the Lord Mayor's 3 official charities will be made in the forthcoming weeks, although Councillor Rothery has confirmed The Anthony Walker Foundation will be 1 of them.

Councillor Anna Rothery said:- "To be given this opportunity is overwhelming and exciting at the same time, although I wish the circumstances were different., but now is as good as time as any; I was passionate about becoming a Councillor and making a difference and I am equally as passionate about becoming Lord Mayor and having this opportunity to champion what I hold most dear: equality, diversity and community. There is so much to celebrate in this City and I'm proud to be the City's 1st black Lord Mayor and I look forward to bringing our communities together. I hope that by taking on such a public facing role I can be a positive role model to young men and women who come from similar backgrounds to me. I'm a working class woman brought up in Toxteth; where you come from should never stop you striving or achieving your goals, in fact it has made me even more determined to prove myself, and in turn make a difference to the lives of others. It's going to be an exciting and emotional journey and I can't wait to get started."

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "Anna has been a leading light in championing the City's diverse communities since becoming a Councillor in 2006 and she will be a credit to the role of Lord Mayor. We are a welcoming City with a wide variety of cultures which we want to champion and celebrate, and Anna's appointment will inspire and educate in equal measure. I know she will be a brilliant Lord Mayor."