The overwhelming majority of councils in London have declared a climate emergency. This is important because that there is a great deal that local councils can do to mitigate climate change as they control the majority of the road infrastructure budget and are in pole position to affect real behaviour change among individuals to encourage them to take fewer car journeys of less than two miles.

The countdown has commenced for polling day on December 12th and party volunteers – not just Labour – will be pounding the pavements to campaign on the doorstep.

While many will be travelling to the their canvassing meeting points by walking, using public transport and cycling. Too many unnecessary journeys are being taken by motorised transport – often it can be just one person travelling to the destination. We need to practice what we preach.

  1. Concentrate on your nearest winnable seat and your own constituency. This is more likely to be accessible by public transport, walking and cycling.
  2. If you have to travel by motorised transport, try and car pool. Advertise in advance that you’re travelling to such-and-such destination and where you’re leaving from in advance by WhatsApp; or let the local organiser know so that they can organise other people to travel with you.

For organisers

  1. Organise canvassing start points easily accessible by public transport, walking and cycling.
  2. Remind all volunteers to endeavour to walk, cycle or take public transport to canvassing start points.
  3. Include information – such as local buses – when advertising campaigning sessions.
  4. Encourage those who have no alternative but to travel by motorised personal transport to carpool.
  5. Consider increasing the amount of resources to phone banks. As the nights draw-in both door-steppers and door-steppees will increasingly prefer this method of canvassing.