Green Boost for Lib Dems ahead of Conference

10.34.59pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 14th Sep 2007

Lib Dem Conference is the Greenest

LIZ Leffman, prospective Liberal Democrat MP for Meon Valley, has welcomed the results of an audit of policies of the three main political parties that shows the party as the best for the environment.

The audit, carried out by a group of major environmental organisations, awarded the parties "green lights" according to how green their policies were. The Conservatives scored zero, Labour one and the Liberal Democrats three.

In Meon Valley, Liz has already called for Winchester City and Havant Borough council's to make buildings in the West of Waterlooville MDA capable of producing their own energy through, for example, solar panels.

She is also behind a drive to make Clanfield a 'green community', following her success in developing a similar operation, Sustainable Charlbury, in the Oxon village she resided in before becoming prospective Meon Valley MP.

"This audit has confirmed the Liberal Democrats are leading the battle of ideas for protecting the environment and cutting the pollution people cause," Liz said.

"At our conference next week, we will be debating plans that will put us even further ahead of Labour and the Conservatives, and I will be pushing forward the need to begin tackling the problems at constituency level.

"I aim to promote the Clanfield 'green community' agenda, which is designed to help individuals, households, businesses and the community as a whole to reduce its CO2 emissions, to fellow party figures at conference and hope to widen the initiative even further."

On a national note, the party will use conference to debate plans to shift more people from domestic flights to a greatly improved high speed rail system and announce plans for cutting income tax by 4p in the pound to 16p, paid for by shifting more of the tax burden onto pollution.