Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council overwhelmingly passed a declaration of Climate & Ecological Emergency at its very first meeting in July 2019, proposed by Green councillors Simon Bull and Chris Rigby in fulfilment of an election pledge.
BCP Green Councillor Chris Rigby has been quoted in the i newspaper's coverage of the Poole Harbour oil spill: "Local councillor Chris Rigby told i: 'This is unacceptable. Wytch Farm has been an accident waiting to happen for years.' Mr Rigby, who represents the Green Party on Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, added that the plant was meant to be shut in 2016, but Perenco had gained an extension until 2037." [More...] 28 Mar 2023
Green Councillor Chris Rigby writes: "When I say some things are bigger than politics, an oil spill in Poole Harbour is one of them. Today councillors from the Green Party, Liberal Democrats, Labour and Poole People were all present at the demonstration on Poole Quay expressing our dissatisfaction with Perenco and Wytch Farm - along with loads of local residents." [More...] 27 Mar 2023
"A devastating impact on our local environment": Response to Poole Harbour oil spill. BCP Green Party notes with sadness and anger the oil spill which took place in Poole Harbour on Sunday 26 March 2023. A major incident has been declared, and the spill will have a devastating impact on our local environment as well as those who live near and work on the harbour. [More...] 27 Mar 2023
BCP Council has voted to stop investing pensions in risky fossil fuels. £41m of taxpayer-underwritten investments are now closer to being switched away. A motion was successfully proposed by Councillor Felicity Rice, and seconded by Green Councillor Chris Rigby. [More...] 23 Mar 2023
BCP Green Councillor Chris Rigby spoke at the BCP Council meeting on 5th December 2022, to challenge BCP's ruling local Conservatives for watering down "Decarbonising Transport" local targets recommended by their own Government. [More...] 5 Dec 2022
Kate Salmon, Green Party speaker for Moordown, was one of the speakers to around 100 demonstrators in Bournemouth Square for the COP27 Global Day of Action. Kate began: "I want to talk about what real leadership on climate change might look like, and about how the answers to the climate emergency and the cost of living crisis are linked." [More...] 12 Nov 2022
BCP councillors have unanimously passed a motion, co-sponsored by Green Councillor Chris Rigby, to call on the Council's banking provider Barclays Bank to work to protect residents of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, by adopting climate policies that are recognised to be in keeping with the Paris Agreement. [More...] 4 Oct 2022
Green Party Councillors wrote to all local Conservative councillors, calling on them to disown the Government's ‘attack on nature’. In an open letter, the Greens have described plans to downgrade environmental protections as a ‘three-pronged assault on nature’. [More...] 29 Sept 2022
Responding to news that Nitrogen Dioxide levels exceed World Health Organisation limits at several Bournemouth locations, Cllr Chris Rigby highlighted the need for development of 15-minute neighbourhoods - ie where the majority of people's needs are able to be met within a 15-minute walk or cycle from their home - and more green development initiatives. [More...] 31 May 2022
BCP's ruling group of Conservative councillors have voted down a proposal by Green Councillors Chris Rigby and Simon Bull, for BCP Council to endorse the call for a global Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. [More...] 24 Feb 2022
Simon Bull, Green Party Councillor for Winton East on BCP Council, has again been quoted in the Bournemouth Echo, again championing an offshore wind farm for Dorset. But local Conservative councillors remain flatly opposed. [More...] 2 Feb 2022
An estimated 200 people attended the Global Day for Climate Justice event in Bournemouth on Saturday 6th November. BCP Green Councillor Simon Bull was one of those giving speeches in Bournemouth, with a BCP Green Party bloc represented at the march and rally. [More...] Nov 2021
BCP’s climate team is said to be expanding from two staff to eight. This follows press, social media and Council Chamber pressure from local Greens and other campaigners for faster local climate action.
Councillor Chris Rigby said: “We welcome this news as a great step in responding to the Climate & Ecological Emergency. We’ll be looking to see this pledge confirmed in the next budget.” 21 Sept 2021
Concerned local citizens came together at Horseshoe Common yesterday, to "protest BCP Council's failure to deliver on their declaration of a climate and ecological emergency" two years ago - proposed by Green Councillor Simon Bull who attended the march. 25 July 2021 [More...]
The Independent reports: "Representatives from the three gas giants, plus Chevron and Equinor, used a dinner with then-trade minister [and Bournemouth West MP] Conor Burns in February last year to argue the fossil fuel industry should be seen as a 'vital' part of the solution to climate change."
Simon Bull, Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Bournemouth West in 2017 and 2019, commented: "It really is time for this government and its ministers to get behind genuine measures and actions that tackle the Climate Emergency. 15 July 2021 [More...]
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council is refusing to back a switch of taxpayer-underwritten investments away from fossil fuel assets in the Dorset Pension Fund. Their unwillingness to divest from "unburnable" fossil fuels is is a "reckless risk for local taxpayers", warn local Greens. 30 June 2021 [More...]
Simon Bull, Green Party Councillor for Winton East, says: "I joined Josh, staff from The Parks Foundation and residents to sow some wildflower seeds at Winton Recreation Ground. Seeded and racked in two hours. Some changes coming to the Rec, which will hopefully make it even better." 16 May 2021
Eco Sustainable Solutions Ltd have submitted a planning application to BCP Council for an “Energy Recovery Facility” to be located at Chapel Lane, Hurn, Christchurch.
Alasdair Keddie, Co-Chair of BCP Green Party, said: "Despite the glossy 'carbon friendly' PR, the Hurn Energy Recovery Facility is an incinerator project. The word 'incinerator is scrupulously avoided throughout the planning application and supporting information. Energy recovery from incinerating waste is not low carbon or climate friendly. It is essentially generating energy from dirty fossil fuel (plastic waste)." 18 Apr 2021 [More...]
Simon Bull, Green Party councillor for Winton East, accepted from Bournemouth & Poole Greenpeace volunteers a Christmas card which calls for BCP Council to make permanent all of the experimental Active Travel schemes. The card was handed over at a Low Traffic Neighbourhood scheme in Winton. 23 Dec 2020
There is no one in BCP Council's new Conservative Cabinet with the words "Climate Change" in their job title, following changes the new administration has made to some of the top roles. For comments by Cllrs Simon Bull and Conservative councillors, see our News Page. October 2020
Second no confidence motion in four months to jeopardise BCP Council’s progress on the Climate and Ecological crises. For our Councillors' reactions to this, see the full report on our News Page. September 2020
An end to the Poole Bay oil well? It's looking likely. Pandemic oil price plunge, a divesting partner and short time frames before licence expiry are making it increasingly likely that Corallian and co will not be coming back to our beautiful, biodiverse bay. 12 Aug 2020 [More...]
Cllr Chris Rigby asks BCP for update on Climate & Ecological Emergency action. For their reply see our News Page. July 2020
BCP’s Green councillors call for vibrant new Bournemouth festival to replace the Air Show in a time of climate emergency. Further details and comments from Ciir Simon Bull are on our News Page. May 2020
People's Assembly develops vision for Green Party to contribute to local Climate & Ecological Emergency action. Members and supporters of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Green Party came together in a People's Assembly to consider the question "Climate and Ecological Emergency: What can the Green Party contribute in our local communities?" A report of the meeting and its findings can be seen on our News Page. March 2020
A fresh proposal to build a wind farm off the Dorset coast would be welcomed by Green Party Councillor Simon Bull, BCP Council’s planning committee chief. The subject of building the source of renewable energy in the sea had gone quiet since the Navitus Bay project hit the buffers in 2015. More details, including Bournemouth Echo coverage, on our News Page. February 2020
The new BCP Council budget for 2020/21 has been comfortably voted through Full Council, with backing from the Unity Alliance and abstentions from the Conservatives. It contains £1.4m of new investment in BCP’s corporate priorities, including money for the Climate and Ecological Emergency. More details on our News Page. February 2020
Chris Rigby delivered a talk to Dorset Humanists on the topic of "Heading for Extinction and What to Do About It", which was his own interpretation of a talk prepared by Extinction Rebellion. He shared the latest climate science on where our planet is heading, discussed some of the current psychology around climate change, and offered solutions through the study of social movements. A video of his talk can be seen on our News Page. January 2020.
Climate Reality presented 24 Hours of Reality: Truth in Action, a global conversation about the truth of the climate crisis and how we solve it. This event, led by local Climate Reality leader and activist, Mark Chivers, is designed for a broad audience; based on the science but accessible to everyone. Full story on our News Page. November 2019
Alasdair Keddie, our Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Bournemouth East, made a speech outside the Department of Business Energy & Industrial Strategy. He said "We must overturn the policy of Maximum Economic Recovery of Petroleum which legally binds the government to extract up to £40bn with of oil from the UK continental shelf". October 2019
As a first step towards BCP Council’s operations becoming net zero carbon by 2030, all council buildings across our conurbation switched to being powered by 100% renewable electricity. 1st Oct 2019
Councillor Chris Rigby said: “I'm really pleased to see BCP Council make this switch, as a first step to reducing the carbon emissions of the Council. “We have got what we think are really achievable targets to meet by 2030. We’ve got plans already in place where we can manage and quantify what we’re going to be doing each year, and we’re going to be monitoring this until we do hit net zero carbon. We want to take the local businesses and residents with us as well, until we can achieve complete carbon neutrality throughout Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.”
Councillor Simon Bull said: “Over 100 councils up and down the country have declared a climate emergency, and it is brilliant that BCP Council has joined that list and that we’re already seeing real action.” 1st Oct 2019
BCP's Green councillors Chris Rigby and Simon Bull appeared on ITV regional news condemning Conservative-run Dorset Council's decision to wave through permission for further oil exploration at Wytch Farm in Purbeck, already western Europe's largest onshore oil field. 13 Sept 2019 [More...]
The local Green Party is holding a series of People’s Assemblies, open to all, to collaborate on what we as concerned citizens can contribute to local Climate & Ecological Emergency action. [More...]
