Our GE Policies
Mansfield has a rural community with a great deal of arable farmland, we want to breed the next generation of farmers and offer this as a viable opportunity to young people to be involved in agricultural working. This is not low level agricultural work but an opportunity for those to choose farming as a career.
Establishing farming cooperatives to allow young people access to farming land if they choose to pursue agricultural ambitions. Too much is imported and we need to grow more crops and breed more livestock but also give people an opportunity for an entry point.
Too much of our farming land is sold off for development and we need to make good use of this land for food sustainability.
Planning Policy reforms
Phil will take the issue of planning policy reforms to Westminster and look to make planning decisions more community based rather than developer led. We need to build in a much greener way whilst making the best use of brownfield sites and protecting our greenfield spaces.
Working with local businesses
Phil wants to work with business to understand the skill sets required that will influence the green technology training and to promote Mansfield as the area in which green technology companies should invest in – we want a green technology revolution with Mansfield to be one area that business can access to deliver that green technology.
The Mansfield Economy
Phil wants to establish a social and local economic value charter with business so that we drive the Mansfield pound through the area meaning that trading as a priority within Mansfield is at the heart of delivering good economic and social benefits for both business and the people of Mansfield. This will mean that every pound spent in Mansfield will deliver a benefit, the creation of jobs and apprenticeships, spend in the local supply chain, reduction in our carbon footprint and supporting the community through business procurement. We can thrive as a district if we put Mansfield first and push the Mansfield pound through our local economy. Support businesses to go green by pushing the need for green grants to business to support the green ambitions.
Environmental
We need to reduce the use of fossil fuels but before we introduce clean energy we need to stop the draughts. Phil will champion the need to make older properties in Mansfield environmentally ready and this will mean lobbying to get retrofit funding to upgrade older properties in Mansfield. Your money spent on energy escapes during winter because older properties are not insulated properly. We want to change this and stop the draughts is our message to London. The money can be found through the additional levies on energy firms and we want to see a properly organised scheme delivered to address this issue.
Housing and Homelessness
Housing and homelessness – we see an opportunity to introduce town centre living as we have an abundance of vacant retail properties that can be converted to deliver a town centre living environment. Not everyone wants or needs a two- or three-bedroom property and town centre living is an option to deliver good quality homes. Unlocking empty properties and bringing them back into use.
Census figures on the census undertaken in March 2021 reported that around 2,465 dwellings were empty these are vacant dwellings and Second homes (with no usual residents). These should be brought back into use which will further assist to address the housing situation. More support will also be required to work with those who are homeless and having fit for use properties to accommodate single people is essential to the strategy to combat this issue.
