Our joint campaign with Hampshire Climate Action Network (HCAN) and other English climate networks continues.Thanks to all the SECA groups who rallied to show their support and provided photos for our new video!
The Devolution Bill will come out soon, and next year in our area both Hampshire and Sussex will have their own Mayors. We think it is vital that the Devolution Bill puts legal duties on Mayors to act on climate and nature. If not, climate and nature will get sidelined.
Momentum has been gathering on this issue and there is still time to help. In this article there are some ideas on how to raise awareness in your area and an update on what’s been going on since our last newsletter. And don’t miss our first SECA campaign video!
Ideas on how to help
If you live in Sussex or Hampshire there is still time to respond to the devolution consultations. Consultations close on 13 April.
Share our new video! SECA has been experimenting with our first campaign video. Liz Burton from Haslemere Biodiversity volunteered to present it and put it together for us, and several SECA groups organised group photos for the end of the video.
We’re hugely grateful to Transition Southampton, Transition Chichester, Winchester Action on Climate Change, campaigners in Worthing, Greening Steyning, Bramber & Beeding, Hanover Action Brighton, Tillingbourne Earth, People, Planet, Pint Horsham and Sustainable Henfield for their photoshoots. They really show the power of the SECA network when we get behind a cause!
You might like to share the video on social media, together with a link to the SECA letter to give the background information.
If you haven’t yet done so, please write to your MP with our letter. We have already sent the letter out from SECA to all the MPs in the SECA area, so it would be great if you could remind them of this and ask them to forward it to Angela Rayner, Secretary of State and Jim McMahon, Minister for Devolution. So far we have heard back from Will Forster, MP for Woking, who has offered his support.
Update on the campaign
Many national organisations and networks have responded to the devolution consultation. Local organisations who have responded include Surrey Climate Commission, Southampton Climate Network, HCAN and SECA.
Hampshire County Council and Hastings Borough Council have raised the issue of duties for climate and nature in their devolution consultation responses. Please let us know if you are aware of any more.
Horsham District Council has passed a motion in support of the SECA letter and will be writing to Angela Rayner with the SECA letter.
SECA and HCAN have written to Hants CC, East Sussex CC, West Sussex CC and Brighton and Hove Council to raise the issue and have had responses.
Chris Holloway from HCAN spoke at a lively meeting in Brighton run by local think tank Climate:Change. A report from that meeting can be found here and was reported in Brighton and Hove News.
Climate Emergency UK and Wildlife and Countryside Link have been gathering national support on this issue and will be campaigning further as we get nearer to the Devolution Bill coming before Parliament. Meanwhile here is a national briefing document on Climate and Nature Duties that they have produced for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which is currently going through Parliament. SECA and HCAN were joint signatories. They are holding a public briefing on the campaign for Climate and Nature Duties on Monday 28 April from 6.30-7.30pm. If you want to learn more please sign up for their Zoom event here.