In these pages last Friday, our Conservative MP wrote that she was concerned we might miss the August 11 deadline to apply for funding from the Sports England fund set up to support struggling swimming pools.
Since being elected in early May, Labour councillors Cheryl Creaser and Simon McGurk have worked hard, alongside many in the community, Rye Town Council, and Rother council officers, to find the best solution to getting Rye pool back open. When Labour formed a new administration at Rother in alliance with other parties to work together in the common interest, your Labour councillors ensured that the agreement included a firm commitment to prioritise getting Rye pool back open.
There is a much work going on within Rye Town Council, as Mayor Andi Rivett has spoken about on these pages, to ensure Rye pool has a more sustainable footing in future.
One vital part of that is securing funding from the Sports England fund. The fund was announced in the March budget, but details of how to apply were slow to materialise. Three months later the fund was launched on June 30 with more information, and then on Friday, August 4 it opened for applications with a deadline this week. Your Rye Labour councillors Cheryl and Simon alongside Rother cabinet member Cllr Hazel Timpe and Rother staff have been hard at work preparing a quality bid for submission this week with Rye pool as the first priority across Rother.
It’s a shame our Conservative MP took to these pages on the very first day the fund opened for applications to accuse Labour councillors of missing a deadline, rather than offering a hand behind the scenes with the hard work going on.
And we must not lose sight of why we found ourselves in a situation with Rye pool closing its doors, as Helena has written about on these pages. Leisure facilities, like the rest of us, have faced spiralling energy costs. Our Conservative government spent last summer having a leadership contest with the winner crashing the economy instead of tackling energy bills before the winter. And thirteen years of Conservative government has failed to prepare and refused to invest in energy security, leaving bills higher and our country less resilient. It is directly because of this failure to make the UK energy independent that we are so exposed to the fluctuations of the global gas market, which has been too easily manipulated by Putin. Other countries, which are more energy secure, have not been impacted as heavily as us. To get to grips with rocketing bills, we need long-term solutions that cut bills for good. That is why a top priority for a Labour government will be to turn the UK into a clean energy superpower.
So perhaps our Tory MP could spend her time lobbying her government for more funding for Rye pool, rather than making confused and ill-informed criticisms of your hard-working Labour councillors in this newspaper.
Labour MP candidate for Hastings and Rye Helena Dollimore
Rother district councillors Cheryl Creaser and Simon McGurk
Image Credits: Kt bruce , Simon McGurk .
May I clarify whom this piece is written by? It’s attributed to Ms Dollimore, Labour’s Parliamentary candidate, whose picture appears at the top of the article, but everyone referenced is referred to in the third person. I’m confused!
The piece also refers to Labour’s recently-announced plans to make Britain a “clean energy superpower”, which is obviously directly relevant to the future of our pool. To unpack that, we’re talking about Labour’s promise to decarbonise Britain’s entire national energy infrastructure by 2030 – ie, in seven years from now, and five years ahead of the Conservatives’ pledge. Notwithstanding the monumental feat of planning reform, procurement, financing and construction this would require, and questions as to whether it’s even possible in that short timescale, it is at least ambitious… It’s a shame (but perhaps understandable) that Labour have already rowed back on the finances and that they won’t commit to cancel the Tory’s infuriating and nonsensical new fossil-fuel licences, but at least the headlines are right…
It should also be noted that even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day, and the UK is already making positive progress under the present administration. According to the National Grid, zero-carbon power in Britain’s electricity mix has grown from less than 20% in 2010 to over 50% in February, May, October, November and December of 2022. There’s a lot in the pipeline which will further enhance the proportion of UK clean energy resource, so Labour wouldn’t be starting from zero – should they form the next administration.
What nobody can dispute is that it’s going to be a colossal national feat to achieve net zero by 2030 or even 2035, and we need an honest, non-partisan debate if we’re going to achieve some national consensus and not get mired in self-defeating partisan antagonisms. Politicians will have to get used not to merely telling potential voters what they perceive they want to hear, but what they don’t want to hear… Few will do that, even in the cause of saving the planet. Radically changing our energy mix means more electricity, which means more pylons, for instance. Everywhere. The only way politicians are going to sell that is if they’re honest and they agree on what’s necessary – we need consensus and cooperation. The last time we faced such an immense national challenge was WW2, during which time we had a National Govt which put the future of the nation before party politics. We need to start thinking once again in those terms, and we need politicians big enough to be honest about the “toil, tears and sweat” ahead. We certainly need radical change in our energy infrastructure but also need radical change in our political infrastructure…
Hi Guy, thanks for taking an interest! The article is by the three of us, Helena, Cheryl and me.
How we get to net zero is as you say, going to be challenging, all the more so because of the wasted years of this government not acting to insulate homes and develop the green infrastructure we need as well as the mismanagement by the government of the energy sector. Labour is absolutely ambitious and it is an ambition borne out of necessity, it is also balanced by the financial reality a new government will find itself in after Trussonomics and kamikaze budgets have ruined the nation’s finances. Labour will not lay the burden of climate responsibility at the feet of those least able to afford it by saddling us with an impossible burden of debt but will fund it in a fully costed government led approach that includes the development of an energy sector fit for delivering net zero. We have fantastic local forums such as Rye Sustainable Living Forum who help to bring home the reality of our changing climate and promote love of the planet especially among young people, we have Strandliners, Rye Community Garden and others all leading in educating and supporting climate awareness. It will be down to all of us to make the changes we need, as you say (although I think with a slightly different emphasis on national government) we must help to motivate and change behaviour together if we are to mitigate the effects of climate change especially for coastal communities such as ours.
Actually, Rother Alliance are doing a similar job at the moment as referred to in our article, Cheryl and I have worked very closely with Cllr Hazel Timpe lead for Leisure and Tourism at Rother who has done so much to champion Rye Pool and with whom we have developed a really excellent relationship.
Cheers, Simon.
Wakey wakey! – the price of the energy we consume is driven by circumstances beyond our individual control!
No matter how laudable the aims and musings of Rye Sustainable Living Forum, Strandliners, Rye Community Garden and others might be they will not determine the cost of oil and gas on the international exchanges. To suggest otherwise is wishing for the sustainable fairies at the bottom of the organic garden!
The only thing that will make green energy workable and the first choice (so to speak) for us will be its price. Appallingly and gruesomely there’s one person in recent times who’s done more to promote renewables in the UK than most of our recent governments put together. Step forward Mad Vlad!
Too much politics in a local news publication.
Well, sorry to sound a bit Vicky Pollard – yes, but no… The international oil and gas markets certainly do set the price of those commodities, meaning new UK drilling licences will not directly effect the cost of our energy bills but will do wonders for BP and Shell… However, to be clear, renewables are already cheaper than fossil fuels, and certainly less costly long term. The challenge is, to scale it up as quickly as possible, and I don’t think Strandliners and community gardeners are the villains here… Putin exposed our vulnerability, but seemingly didn’t ween the Govt off of oil.
Sadly until the general election,that will be the norm Rod, all chasing brownie points.
I always admire and look forward to your comments Guy but I fear your statement that “renewables are already cheaper than fossil fuels, and certainly less costly long term” is way off beam and misleading. It’s the same argument that RWE put forward twenty years ago when they were trying to bribe all of us straw-sucking yokels to smooth through their PP application for the Little Cheyne Court Wind Farm (how times have changed eh!).
The price of a Gigawatt hour of electricity on the wholesale markets is…err.. the price. It makes no difference how the electricity is generated; coal, oil, gas, wind, solar, pedal power or sustainable fairies!
So back to reality! Over the course of my career I’ve met with a number of people who’ve spent their entire working lives in power generation. Even they, as they have told me, don’t fully understand the economics and dynamics of their industry so what hope for the rest of us!
Therefore, whilst I applaud the comments in your final paragraph I’d suggest we’ve reached the point in our history where energy policy and strategy will be vital to our future (just like water supply and treatment policy). Sadly though, if it were that easy, a politician could do it!
Thank you. Kind of you to say.
To clarify, bcs it is blooming complex, I agree, wholesale markets do set the price for oil, gas and electricity, but green energy is at least as cheap, and getting rapidly cheaper to produce than energy from fossil fuel. That’s widely acknowledged. Moreover, fossil fuels are running out and the shift away from them is inevitable. If we need proof, look at the Gulf states rush to diversify. So whilst I recognise the desire to wring out the last drops of profit, fossil fuels are a dying business – dying as surely as the planet will if we keep burning them! Cost needs to be looked at not merely in the short term, but in the long term too. So, to me, renewables represent business sense and environmental sense. But we can agree to differ! Enjoy the weekend.
PS to Rod!
Sadly Rod it’s not too much politics locally, nationally or globally, it’s all too possible. Do have a look at Channel 4’s “Blackout – a drama documentary exploring the effects of a devastating cyber-attack on Britain’s national electricity grid. What might happen if Britain experienced a nationwide power cut?” (2013). What does happen when the lights don’t come on will frighten you to bits (and how much have we heard about Vlad the Invader’s hackers recently)!
In fact we are not differing at all Guy, we are on exactly the same page! All I’m pointing out is the reality of the situation versus what we would like it to be. It is to be hoped that it will become what we would like it to be but it won’t be overnight! Energy strategy is far too complicated in a sophisticated western economy like ours to be left in the hands of politicians who have zero education and experience in this area. I’d suggest that (apart from not being a potential vote grabber until recently) this is why Government after Government have not prepared us.