An amazing community group of residents in Buntingford is working hard to reopen Ward Freman Pool. They have now been offered the freehold, and are now fundraising for the retiling. Sport England has offered to match fund once they've reached £15,000. Please consider supporting! tinyurl.com/25bkppes

Reform led Kent County Cllrs on 10th July voted down a motion to improve the council's strategy on Violence Against Women and Girls tinyurl.com/3xz9j8sm, 22 in favour, 3 abstentions, 41 against. Arguments being because "it's not just women & girls", and "it's undocumented males".

Great piece by George Monbiot on the Lower Thames Crossing. £9.4bn for 14 miles of road, which will only serve to increase car dependency. The same investment in buses could enable every community in England have a half decent bus service for the next nine years. tinyurl.com/kcmzrw8e

Reform UK is proposing a "Britannia card" that would let wealthy foreigners pay a £250k fee to move to the UK, and live here exempt from all tax on their foreign assets What they don't say: it would cost the UK £34bn Report here, and thread below: buff.ly/gpe2Dpf

If I wanted to be this hot and confused, I’d have stayed in South Africa. Here’s why your nan’s melted ice lolly in 1976 doesn’t invalidate decades of climate science:

This #CleanAirDay, we joined @globalactionplan.bsky.social and fellow members of @healthyairuk.bsky.social on a walk to Parliament, to call for more ambitious air quality targets. London Deputy Mayor @metecoban92.bsky.social joined the walk to highlight the health crisis of #AirPollution.

It's #BetterTransportWeek and time to show public transport some love! Make a public transport pledge and become part of the movement for better transport. Make your pledge here: bettertransport.org.uk/pledge-to-us...

We’re proud to support @bettertransport.bsky.social‬'s #BetterTransportWeek. This year, the focus is on how #Transport connects communities and brings people together. The benefits of public transport, walking & wheeling, cycling & car sharing are huge, whether it's for #Health or the #Economy.

Share your scenic train journey view for a chance to win £100, as Campaign for Better Transport gets set for next week's Better Transport Week.

@tuppennyrush.bsky.social has started a petition asking for Boots in Hertford to install a blister pack recycling point. This would be a great addition to Hertford. If you're local, please spare 30 seconds to add your name, and also please do spread the word. Thanks so much! tinyurl.com/ycxhzhfa

Whatever the true reason for Zia Yusuf resigning as Chair of the RefUK Party, I suspect Kent CC officers will be breathing a small sigh of relief. www.bearlypolitics.co.uk/p/confidence...

Happy #WorldBicycleDay! As a non-driver, cycling is a key travel option for me. My current bike I got in 2007 under the Cycle to Work scheme when I did home visits. Its biggest adventure was a 3-month solo trip, taking a cargo ship to New York and cycling down to Key West, camping and hostelling.

Today is local election day! The day for county council elections, where you decide who shapes key services including SEND, adult care services, schools, waste management, transport, local roads, and public health. Use your vote wisely, and remember that every vote counts!

28th April - 4th May is Reusable Nappy Week! To find out more, we spoke to three local parents who had used reusables and hear about their experiences. Herts Nappy Service is also a great source of information and a chance to try before committing. eastherts.greenparty.org.uk/2025/04/29/r...

An informative read about the importance of bus priority, and ways to help get the wider public on board: www.route-one.net/features/fix...

Exciting news! From now till 29 April, all donations made to Campaign for Better Transport via this link will be DOUBLED: donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05... That's double the impact for cleaner air, better public transport and a greener future, thanks to the Big Give #GreenMatchFund.

Ahead of Hertfordshire County council elections, local Tories have been fighting dirty. Two weeks ago, they started a widely publicised petition against the new East Herts District Council bin contract. Nothing to do with County Council, & a contract Tories themselves designed: tinyurl.com/2u8982xp

Despite decades of evidence clearly demonstrating that new roads/bypasses do not reduce congestion or journey times, the go-ahead for the Lower Thames road tunnel has been approved. tinyurl.com/y7wnks8z People use what's built. Build roads, get cars. Build public transport, get passengers.

It was wonderful to see the Hertfordshire schools' gala last night at the Royal Albert Hall! Thank you to Hertford St Andrew School for all your work prepping and co-ordinating the school choir. My pair had a great time. And the late night did not deter them from getting up at 6am. 😃

The closure of Fanshawe pool in Ware has had a huge impact on its many users, but a team of people are working to get it back opened again. If you are able to chip in and help, all donations are very much appreciated! www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/save-fansh...

Incredibly disappointing stuff from our Transport Secretary, who, rather than acknowledging the climate emergency, writes "I have no intention of clipping anyone's wings. I am not some sort of flight-shaming eco warrior. I love flying – I always have" tinyurl.com/yjnv9w62 @flightfreeuk.bsky.social

An interesting read on the impact (or not) of different parking charges on town centre footfall and spend: www.linkedin.com/pulse/do-par...

As an immigrant who chose to make my home in the UK—but also as someone who is a migration historian and researches the impact of dog-whistle politics—there is no way for me to overstate how wrong and disgusting these ads by the UK Labour Party are. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Just heard on the news that the government now plans to "encourage" those on long-term sick back into work by reducing their benefits. In last week's news, the tax increase on non-doms was softened. Apparently the wealthiest need their money more than the poorest need theirs.

RW press having a bit of a mare on the anti-migrant front. I love how vague that first one is from the Telegraph. Basically “every figure we used was wrong and we’re not going to tell you the right figure, because just how wrong it was will make us look ridiculous”. ~AA

We agree with @elliechowns.bsky.social 💯 Today MPs debate Proportional Representation. A proper national conversation about alternatives to our broken system is long overdue. We're calling for a National Commission for Electoral Reform to design a voting system that's fit for the 21st century.

Just listening to R4 interview with Craig Bennett, CEO The Wildlife Trust. Turns out that the 'bat tunnel' was not something required in any aspect of planning law, nor was it an ask from Natural England. Rather, HS2 opted to build the tunnel.

“I don’t understand why when we destroy something created by man we call it vandalism, but when we destroy something by nature we call it progress.” – Ed Begley Jr.

And going ‘further and faster’ without a plan for nature? That isn’t progress, it’s gambling with our future. A thriving economy relies on a thriving natural world. Real growth means backing net-zero, nature recovery, and long-term sustainability... not pushing them aside.

#BrokenPlate - all too accurate metaphor for our #FoodSystem from @foodfoundation.bsky.social Here how daily healthier options far more expensive

Dear Ms Reeves, HS2 didn't go over budget because of a bat tunnel. It's over budget because of philosophy; that the trains must be fast. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... When we lose the little nature we have left in the UK, it will also be because of philosophy - your philosophy: "growth at all cost"

Incredibly frustrated that @networkrail have pushed back the new lift at #HertfordNorth by yet another year, at the same time as underspending its #accessibilty funds! Now the existing lift is out of action too. Wake up @networkrail #accessforall @disrightsuk.bsky.social

Having listened to Rachel Reeves on radio 4 today, she seems to really have a thing against bats. And facts. Airport expansion is clearly not compatible with net zero targets - and the "economic growth" justifications are questionnable at best.

No. And anyone who says it can is lying to you. Climate Emergency. There's a clue in the last word. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Apparently a new runway at Heathrow could create 100,000 jobs. A home retrofit industry: hold my beer. www.pwc.co.uk/press-room/p...

Keir Starmer previously congratulated climate campaigners after Heathrow expansion was ruled illegal, saying "there is no more important challenge than the climate emergency" Now his government says expansion is "badly needed"

I remain opposed to a new runway at Heathrow airport because of the severe impact it will have on noise, air pollution and meeting our climate change targets.

This Government is crossing its fingers and praying that electric planes and sustainable fuel will materialise. We cannot rely on underdeveloped technologies to decarbonise aviation. Ed Miliband knows this. This is a test of climate credibility, and Labour is failing.

I hope my MP @joshdeanmp.bsky.social votes in favour of the #CANBill. We are in perilous times, and the CAN Bill offers a real opportunity to show the world that we are committed to doing what's possible to protect our only habitable planet. OK, granted Reeves and Rayner aren't, but others are!

I read somewhere that someone had given Rachel Reeves a copy of Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth. Not sure if that's true, but either way, Rachel would definitely benefit from reading it! Currently she still seems to believe the delusion of infinite growth. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

In the #HouseofLords, I introduce my #BiocidesBill - aiming to tackle #AMR, protect our #microbiomes, and our environment #OneHealth #PublicHealth #Biodiversity

Powerful stuff from cartoonist Ella Baron in @theguardian.com

For poets and writers of all ages! #hertford #rivers #poetry #fiction Https://www.facebook.com/61554829962759/posts/122190891614160998/

Hello - the government is developing an Integrated National Transport Strategy, and put out a "call for ideas" towards the end of last year. Transport affects all of us, so a great opportunity to have your input, deadline for responding is 30th Jan: www.gov.uk/government/c...

Tragic outcome of bravery: and a sad reminder that there is no escape for anybody on this #PoisonedPlanet. We need to start employing the #PrecautionaryPrinciple in all human systems www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

We need better transport: “Access to transport is the single most important factor in a person's ability to escape poverty” (Harvard study) “Transport is pre-eminently a human rights issue - people without access to transport can’t function properly in the society we have built.” Simon Norton 2018

The £2 bus fare cap has now increased to £3; a 50% increase. The fuel duty cap remains in place, at a cost £3billion. Yet 28% of the poorest households have no car access, compared to just 6% of the richest. From both a social justice and climate justice perspective, this feels topsy-turvy.

NEW: I interviewed Chris Boardman about his many careers, including his current role at Active Travel England. He told me that fact-free anti-cycling media stories are harming the UK's health, as they put off politicians from making brave but necessary decisions. www.theguardian.com/news/2024/de...

Happy World Sustainable Transport Day! To help celebrate, Campaign for Better Transport is running a competition, inviting you to share what you'd like to change about our existing sustainable transport to make it better: bettertransport.org.uk/world-sustai...

#COP29 has failed to deliver.❌ Trust is broken as leaders leave glaring gaps in finance and ambition—putting people, planet, and the world’s poorest at risk. We’ll keep fighting. The climate and nature crisis can’t wait another year.