Tony Waterston

Green Jesmond talked to Tony Waterston of Transition Jesmond and the Newcastle Cycling Campaign about the importance of sustaining natural resources, recycling, energy conservation and cycling.

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On the 25th April, Jesmond electoral candidates met at Cafe 1901 as part of a JesmondLocal broadcast to discuss community issues and answer resident's questions a week before local election day.



The topics discussed were wide and varied, including budget cuts, schooling matters and the ever contentious issue of students within the area and their effect on the community, but more importantly candidates gave their opinions on the environmental problems that face Jesmond and offered up some of their solutions.

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Recycling was a huge issue for the audience and many complained of the inconvenience that came with disposing of refuse correctly. The lack of public recycling bins on the streets and the presence of only one bottle bank in central Jesmond has seen a number of recyclable materials thrown into general waste bins on a day-to-day basis and those who attended the Hustings clearly felt this had to change. 



Conservative representative James Bartle said: "It is crucial that the council provides a service that collects residents' waste in the most green and eco-friendly way possible."

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Another recent problem within Jesmond has been the disposal of garden waste, and with talk of brown bin charge, many households were irritated at the thought of having to pay to recycle effectively.

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Upon mention of this charge, candidates shunned the very notion, with Bartle saying "if we're saying to people you're going to have to pay to recycle waste I feel it is sending completely the wrong message."



Cycling and the issues that surround it have always been a huge debate during local council elections and many Jesmond residents expressed in the Hustings the need to encourage bikes as a better form of transport. However, many of the candidates claimed that the cost of creating bicycle routes is what stops the council from more effectively pushing the concept to the general public.



Liberal Democrat representative Peter Breakey said: "It's a very complicated issue. I would carry on working with the people I know who care about it, but it's not simple and whilst it would be fantastic to have good cycle roots throughout Jesmond, we must find the right way of achieving it."



Pedestrianising Acorn road was another issue that was raised at this years Hustings and it was met with mixed feelings. While many of the candidates did concede that in principle the road would be a far more aesthetically pleasing centre of Jesmond if it was free of gridlocked cars, there was a common feeling that making such an alteration would lead to inconvenience for both shop owners and residents. 



But surely when it comes to ensuring our community remains green, convenience should not be the main concern. Many residents raised the point that while the transition to a pedestrianised Acorn road might be difficult, in the long run people would accept the new situation and Jesmond would benefit both visually and environmentally. 



The Hustings were a roaring success in many ways but from an environmental perspective, there were still many questions left unanswered. There were no promises to make recycling bins more prolific in public areas and questions around the improvement of cycling lanes were met with generic responses about budget cuts and lack of funds.  It was clear that those running for election cared very much about keeping Jesmond as environmentally friendly as possible but at the same time there was a worry from residents that a number of the candidates were not willing to make the significant and bold changes required to ultimately make Jesmond a greener community.