GREEN BUDGET WOULD CREATE JOBS
The Green Party say that their budget proposals would create jobs in energy
saving and regeneration, waste reduction and food production, as well as
saving Council jobs that are under threat. The money would come from reserves and “Invest to Save” borrowing which would be repaid in energy bills and green energy feed-in tariffs.
Cllr Jillian Creasy
The Greens have called for Creative Sheffield, the city development company
that is partly funded by the Council, to be renamed and turned into a centre
of excellence for a low-carbon, local economy. This would encourage jobs
that would reap long-term benefits for Sheffield such as energy efficiency,
low-carbon manufacture, sustainable construction, and other rapidly growing
“green industries”.
The Green proposals would create jobs by extending the Affordable Warmth scheme, with grants totalling £2 million for owners of “hard to treat”
homes, for example to draft-proof their gennels and insulating non-cavity
walls. Householders would also benefit from a rolling fund to help them install renewable energy, only having to pay the money back when they sell their home.
Cllr Jillian Creasy said, “These proposals are a very good use of Sheffield
residents’ council tax and other Council funds. More jobs would be created
through a £5.5million Invest to Save scheme to improve energy efficiency in
council buildings and install renewable energy on council buildings. The money would be recouped within 10 years through reduced bills and selling energy back to the National Grid. In the longer term, city residents would see substantialbenefits from these proposals.”
The Greens also say that offering part-time working to all Council employees
would save up to £200,000 in redundancy pay-outs and keep knowledge, skills and experience in the workforce. Finally, profitable businesses could be developed in growing and selling food, especially on council-owned farmland and derelict spaces.
ENDS