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Climate, traffic and rubbish - voters want answers

Chloe Hughes
BBC News, West Midlands
Sarah Turner Sarah Turner is in a purple windbreaker and is holding black walking sticks. She is at the top of a mountain with clouds in the background and blue sky surrounding herSarah Turner
Sarah Turner said she was concerned about traffic, climate change and fly-tipping

In the run-up to the local election the BBC is looking at the issues that matter the most to you, as part of Your Voice, Your Vote.

County councils and other authorities hold elections on 1 May.

Traffic, climate change, litter and recycling centres were important to Sarah Turner from Leamington Spa in Warwickshire.

Shop units were empty, the main road gets congested and visting household waste sites could be tricky, she said. Other people who contacted the BBC said the environment and climate change should be the county council's priority.

"On the main street in [Leamington's] Parade, there's just hardly anything, you've got so many empty shops," Ms Turner said.

Traffic through the town is another issue, she added, even though there was lots of cycling and walking provision.

"You'd be silly to take a job the other end of town to where you live," she said.

"With climate change and everything else, the Greens seem to be the only ones protecting what green spaces we've got left."

Getty Images An aerial view of Leamington Spa. There is a long road stretching down the middle, with buildings on either side. There is a large red brick clock tower on th right, with vehicles driving down the roadGetty Images
Ms Turner said congestion through the town was an issue

Household recycling centres (HRCs) should be able to take rubbish from anyone, instead of charging fees for businesses to take their waste there.

"You'd think that this service would stop half of the stuff being dumped everywhere," she said.

Warwickshire County Council has signed up to the Leamington Town Centre Vision - a scheme designed to regenerate the town over the next decade.

It has also committed to becoming a net-zero organisation by 2030 adding it would support the county to achieve net-zero by 2050.

Getty Images A stock image of someone putting an empty plastic evian water bottle into a large green recycling bin that is full of plasticGetty Images
Ms Turner said she believed everyone should be able to take their waste to HRCs

What do the parties say?

Candidates and parties in the Leamington Willes ward were contacted to have their say.

Will Roberts, the Green Party candidate, said:

  • Support was needed for town centres, and a fund was recently put forward for more events to drive footfall there
  • The party prioritised making short journeys to walk and cycle to schools, leisure and work safer
  • Improved infrastructure was needed, and money needed to be better directed
  • Local access to parks and the countryside was vital, and the party had worked to try and reduce the number of greenfield sites for developers that need to come forward in the local plan
  • The party would review the household recycling centres to see where they can be made more accessible and increase their recycling rates.

Sarah Millar, on behalf of the Labour party, said:

  • Supporting local businesses and growing the economy was a priority
  • The party believed the active transport policy in the county was often "paid only lip service". It believed the county could "do better" in terms of cycle provision
  • A masterplan of better sequenced road works would be developed
  • Green spaces would be protected and a green municipal board for Warwickshire be developed
  • There was a need for better enforcement of fly tipping and the party would look into the "pay as you throw" approach for commercial vehicles.

Paulo Viana, candidate for the Liberal Democrats, said:

  • It would boost small businesses and abolish business rates, replacing them with a commercial landowner levy to help high streets.
  • Encourage residents to travel to the town centre by walking, cycling or using public transport
  • The party wants to see cycle routes from other areas of Leamington joining the Kenilworth to Leamington cycleway
  • The party would invest in accelerating the decarbonisation of all county council buildings and transport, with savings invested in local services
  • Street trees would be well maintained and more trees planted where possible
  • HRC booking slots should be reviewed.

Reform UK did not respond for comment, but its national manifesto said:

  • It wants to free more than 1.2m small and medium-sized businesses from corporation tax, and abolish business rates for high street-based small and medium-sized enterprises, offsetting with online delivery tax at 4% for large multinational enterprises
  • Net-zero and related subsidies should be scrapped along with an annual £10bn of renewable energy subsidies
  • It would keep road speed limits low where safety is critical, otherwise it would scrap 20mph zones
  • Existing rail and road links would be imprroved focusing on coastal regions, Wales, the North, and the Midlands.

The Conservative Party did not respond for comment, but its 2024 manifesto said:

  • It would ease business rates for high street, leisure and hospitality businesses by increasing the multiplier on distribution warehouses that support online shopping over time
  • Access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises would be improved, including through expanding open finance
  • It would invest £4.7bn for smaller cities, towns and rural areas in the North and Midlands - to spend on transport priorities. This will cut congestion and upgrade local bus and train stations
  • The cost of tackling climate change for households and business would be cut, and net zero delivered by 2050
  • Red tape that holds back the planting of trees would be cut.

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