31 March 2023

Responding to new data from the Environment Agency which show that there was a total of 301,091 sewage discharges in 2022, Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

“It is nothing short of a national scandal that our rivers should be treated in this way. There is simply no excuse for raw sewage to be spilled into rivers 824 times a day – especially in a year when most of the country faced a drought.

“The situation we currently have across the country where water companies can, almost with impunity, dump sewage into our rivers, waterways and coastal waters cannot go on. The Green Party wants to see a halt to all dividend payouts to shareholders until these companies sort their sewage out and ultimately for the water supply to be brought back into public ownership at the earliest practicable opportunity.

“After years of failing to invest adequately in infrastructure, the private monopoly model is broken with rivers facing an assault from all directions, made all the worse by inaction from the government.

“The water industry cannot continue to be rewarded for failure.”

ENDS

For more information or to arrange an interview contact the press office on press@greenparty.org.uk or call 0203 691 9401

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29 March 2023

Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said:

“Detaining desperate people on boats, barges and disused military bases is the latest outrage in a calculated attempt by government to dehumanise asylum seekers as part of its election strategy.

“Together with the Illegal Immigration Bill that will cast adrift thousands of people seeking protection in this country, these proposals will cause real harm to already vulnerable people.

“The humane alternative is an asylum system that works. That is one with clear, open, safe and legal routes for applicants, quick and efficient determinations and support for resettlement into local communities with properly funded local services.”

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By law, you must tax your vehicle if you’re using it or keeping it on a public road. If you’re keeping the vehicle off the road, you must either tax it or register it as off the road by making a ‘Statutory Off Road Notification’ (SORN).

If you do not tax your vehicle, you could find your vehicle clamped or impounded. You could also face financial penalties or court action. So, remember to tax your vehicle on time – it’s never been easier!

In this blog, we tackle several of the biggest myths about vehicle tax.

MYTH 1: I need to pay vehicle tax up front every year

Wrong! You can set up a Direct Debit when you tax your vehicle online (your vehicle must be insured and have a valid MOT in place if it needs one). By setting up a Direct Debit, you can spread the cost by paying your vehicle tax annually, 6 monthly or monthly – whatever works best for you!

Your Direct Debit will renew automatically when your vehicle tax is due to run out (providing you’re shown as the registered keeper and the vehicle has a valid MOT and insurance). So, there’s no need to worry! Find out more about setting up a Direct Debit for vehicle tax.

MYTH 2: I’ve just bought a car – I cannot tax my vehicle because I do not have a V5C registration certificate (log book) in my name 

If you’re the new keeper, you can use the green ‘new keeper’ slip from the log book to tax your vehicle straight away.

MYTH 3: My vehicle is exempt from vehicle tax, so I do not need to do anything

In fact, you must still tax your vehicle even if you do not need to pay anything.

Some types of vehicles are ‘exempt’ from vehicle tax, which means you do not need to pay, but you still need to tax the vehicle. The quickest way to do this is using our online service.

If you’re unsure if your vehicle is exempt from vehicle tax, read our guidance on GOV.UK. To tax your vehicle as exempt for the first time, for example as disabled, you need to change your vehicle’s tax class.

MYTH 4: I cannot drive a vehicle registered off the road, sometimes called a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN), to an MOT test

Wrong. If you’ve pre-arranged an MOT test you can drive a SORN vehicle to its appointment.

MYTH 5: I’ve not received a V11 vehicle tax reminder form so I cannot tax my vehicle

If you haven’t received your V11 vehicle tax reminder, you can use your V5C registration certificate (log book) instead. Your V5C will have a reference number which you can use to tax your vehicle.

If you’ve changed address, let us know by updating the address on your V5C. If your vehicle needs taxing in the next 4 weeks, you’ll need to tax your vehicle using your current V5C before changing your address.

Tax on time, tax online

Use GOV.UK to check if your vehicle is taxed. If you need to tax your vehicle, you can do so quickly and securely online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on GOV.UK.

Simply visit www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax and read the information on the page. Check you have everything you need and click ‘Start now’. Answer the questions on each page and complete the required information to tax your vehicle – sorted. So, tax it, don’t risk it!

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28 March 2023

The Green Party has warned the UK government that a net zero strategy which offers a boost to fossil fuels would be a “grave betrayal” of its citizens and future generations, amid reports that its planned “green day” this week could include more support for oil and gas [1]. 

As the government prepares to announce its revamped net zero strategy on Thursday, the Greens have urged Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, to choose the policies that will bring the most benefit to households across the UK as well as to the environment.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

“The government this week has an opportunity to introduce measures that will create a win-win for our environment and the economy at large. 

“Instead, we are hearing reports that what should be a boost for households across the country, in the shape of cheaper, cleaner energy and a reduction in emissions, will instead be a boost for the climate-wrecking fossil fuel industry.

“If what we fear is correct, this will be a grave betrayal of households up and down the country who want cheap, clean energy that doesn’t cost the earth, as well as future generations who will wonder why more wasn’t done to tackle the climate crisis when we had the opportunity to do so.”

The Greens have called on the government to:

• Introduce a carbon tax targeting the biggest polluters to provide funding for a mass insulation programme and renewable energy revolution to cut domestic energy bills and reduce emissions
• Invest £25 billion a year for ten years to carry out deep retrofitting of ten million homes and provide insulation improvements for every home that needs it. 
• Invest £12 billion a year for ten years on rolling out renewable energy including:

• Paving the way for 70% of the UK’s electricity to come from wind power by lifting the de facto onshore ban and introducing new support and incentives to accelerate wind energy development
• Introducing new support for solar geothermal, tidal, hydro and other renewables to provide much of the rest

 Ramsay said:

 “Any claim from the government that burning ever more fossil fuels from the North Sea will help the UK meet its international obligations to become net zero by 2050 [2] has no connection to reality.

 “Just last week, the latest IPCC report painted a grim picture of the future of action to tackle the climate crisis isn’t taken immediately. [2]

 “The UK government, along with governments around the world, has an increasingly small window of opportunity to secure a sustainable future for all and limit global temperature rise.

 “But with the recent announcements in the Spring Budget and reports that its own ‘green day’ has been watered down, this government continues to stick its head in the sand at everybody’s cost. 

 “There are huge benefits to be made if the government puts the right policies in place now. For example, the UK is seriously behind other European countries when it comes to installing heat pumps. However, new research has shown that we could reduce our gas imports by half if we installed them at the same rate as Finland [3]. If the government put the right long-term policy measures in place now, then we could see this sort of reward very soon.

 “The government has a chance to achieve a win-win this week, but it looks like they’re going for a lose-lose-lose which will be bad for the economy, bad for our pockets and bad for the climate.”

 Notes

1. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/mar/24/uk-government-launch-revamped-net-zero-strategy-oil-gas-capital-aberdeen

2. https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2023/03/20/green-party-response-to-ipcc-synthesis-report/

3. https://eciu.net/media/press-releases/2023/gas-imports-could-be-halved-in-ten-years-if-uk-matched-finland-on-heat-pumps

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20 March 2023

Responding to the The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Synthesis Report [1], Adrian Ramsay, co-leader of the Green Party, said:

“The IPCC paints a grim picture of the future if action to tackle the climate emergency isn’t taken immediately. They point to a small window of opportunity that governments still have to secure a liveable, sustainable future for all and limit the global temperature rise to 1.5C. 

“This report should be a loud alarm bell for the UK government, but it seems they’re just not listening. The Spring budget shows the Tories are asleep at the wheel when it comes to the climate crisis. Instead of investment in public transport and active travel, we got a fuel duty freeze; rather than meaningful investment in abundant and affordable renewables such as onshore and offshore wind, tidal and solar, we got the promise of expensive nuclear which will take over a decade to come on stream. And still no end in sight to the granting of licences for further fossil fuel exploitation or a carbon tax to make polluters pay for the damage they cause to our environment.

“The IPCC calls for action on climate change that also provides wider benefits. Greens have long argued that actions such as insulating homes, putting in place infrastructure to boost walking and cycling and a move towards a more plant based diet can all have positive impacts on health and address the cost of living crisis.” 

Notes

1. Scientists deliver ‘final warning’ on climate crisis: act now or it’s too late

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