Sheffield Greens have welcomed increased pressure to improve air quality across the country, and are once again calling on Sheffield City Council to urgently take action on dangerous levels of air pollution across our city.
Furthermore, Greens in Sheffield are fully supporting the charity, Trees for Cities, in their decision to stop working with Sheffield City Council until they change their hostile approach on the city’s street trees.
Speaking on the two developments, Natalie Bennett, prospective parliamentary Green Party candidate for Sheffield Central, said,
“Up and down the country, the country’s alarming pollution levels are coming under intense scrutiny. Here in Sheffield, toxic levels of pollution are attributed to the early deaths of around 500 people per year.
“Sheffield Greens are calling for urgent action on air quality. We are demanding a new plan for the city which will combat the lethal levels of pollution which many residents are currently forced to live with.
“But this issue is not in isolation. Trees clean up the air and are a vital tool in the fight against pollution in our cities. Maintenance of roadside trees and the planting of more trees in areas with few or none is an excellent way to improve air quality.
“Instead, Sheffield City Council, through their private contractors Amey, are cutting down thousands of healthy trees right across Sheffield.
“Sheffield Greens are fully supportive of Trees for Cities in their decision to stop working with the Council until this practice stops.
“We hope the Council now realise that, with reputable organisations like Trees for Cities being critical and taking action over their current approach to street trees, they need to get together with interested groups to find a way forward that has the support of both those seeking to protect roadside trees and residents more generally.”