ALL the new buildings Herefordshire Council continues to approve without any environmental conditions attached belies its commitment to the climate emergency it signed up to on March 9, 2019.

In my Golden Valley North ward the councillor we voted in specifically said she was in favour of implementing the climate emergency decision.

Well, nine months later, nothing has happened.

Still, the technology is proven – solar panels, ground-source heat pumps, loads of insulation, water catchments systems, and built-in waste management systems are all available at very low prices if designed and built in at new.

And, because the householders will quickly absorb any additional cost through savings on energy, and the developers will bear upfront costs, it is, to use a horrible phrase, a no-brainer for cash strapped councils.

What’s the problem with Herefordshire Council? In February 2019, we in the Golden Valley put forward a Herefordshire Climate Manifesto as a discussion document to show how easy it is to go green (goldenvalleyactiongroup.org) if only the political will exists.

So, since the election in May 2019, what happened to the pledge for a climate emergency policy by the new council?

Freer Spreckley

Dorstone