As part of The Gazette's Local Elections 2006 coverage, political reporter KATE MARTIN quizzes representatives from each of the five political groups about their views on environment and transport in Basingstoke and Deane.

Liberal Democrat - Councillor Alan Read, who is standing again in Basing, and Councillor Stuart Parker, who is standing again in Eastrop

THE Liberal Democrats aim to build on what they have already achieved.

As part of the council's ruling administration, the party will continue to subsidise bus services, run the concessionary fares scheme and support the shuttle bus.

Cllr Parker said: "The shuttle bus is a Liberal Democrat success."

He said the party will also encourage Hampshire County Council to make bus services more reliable, pleasant to travel on, and accessible for all.

He believes relocating the bus station will be an issue for debate in the future, but, for now, the focus should be on providing a shelter and keeping it clean.

The party is also continuing to support the creation of Chineham railway station and will lobby for improvements to junction 6 of the M3.

Cllr Read said the council has already introduced the green garden waste scheme, green bins in rural areas and the Furniture Store project and will continue to improve recycling.

He said the party wants to advertise the council's recycling services more and increase the range of items that can be recycled.

He thinks regular checks of problem areas for the streetcare team are required and that financial penalties should be used against litter bugs, fly-tippers and graffiti vandals.

He said: "Now that we have that power, I think we ought to use it."

He also believes the public should be better informed about energy-saving measures and the council should continue to work with developers to make homes more energy-efficient.

He is further concerned that parks and open spaces and the borough's countryside should be preserved and maintained.

Labour - Councillor Criss Connor, who is standing again in Winklebury

LABOUR'S manifesto commits the party to making the borough a cleaner, greener and safer place.

As part of the ruling administration, the party has already introduced the green garden waste scheme, put green bins in rural areas and is looking at introducing kerbside glass collection, but Cllr Connor says more will be done to get recycling above 25 per cent.

He said: "I have been saying for a long time that we need to work with business and industry to see if we can be greener."

He wants to see more education on recycling, with the council talking face-to-face with the community.

Cllr Connor said an expansion of the council's streetcare department is bringing improvements and he does not want to resort to fines for people who litter and spray graffiti.

The party also wants to create a "Green champion" in the Cabinet and reduce carbon emissions, particularly by encouraging residents to make use of the council's energy-saving grants, for example for house insulation.

On transport, the party wants to work more with Hampshire County Council to improve buses in urban and rural areas and get more cycle lanes.

Cllr Connor said Labour is looking at introducing more late-night public transport out of the town centre, and wants to keep the town shuttle bus.

He added: "The shuttle bus is one of the most popular routes in the whole of Hampshire."

He believes the railway station will need to be improved because it is a gateway to the town, and wants to see a shelter installed over the bus station.

Green Party - Darren Shirley, candidate in Eastrop

THE Green Party has some radical plans to tackle environmental issues such as waste and climate change.

The party wants recycling rates to be dramatically increased and for the borough council to lobby manufacturers and central Government to reduce packaging.

Darren Shirley said: "The local authority has to deal with waste so they really do have a right, in my opinion, to lobby them to do something about it."

Mr Shirley also thinks people need to be more involved in environmental issues, by creating a not-for-profit, community-run waste collection scheme and a forum of local residents, organisations and businesses to discuss environmental policies.

The party wants more education to prevent littering and fly-tipping and a more speedy response from the council's streetcare team when these problems are reported.

Green Party members are particularly concerned about reducing carbon emissions by designing the town to reduce reliance on the car, lobbying the county council for more cycle lanes, and making houses more green, for example by incorporating solar panels and wind turbines.

Mr Shirley wants bus services to be run by local authorities rather than private companies.

He is also concerned there are too many inducements to drive to the town centre - including the availability of car parking.

He said: "We need to have a managed reduction in the number of car parking spaces in Basingstoke at the same time as improving public transport."

The party also wants to see the borough, and particularly Basingstoke, putting less of a drain on the planet's resources, for example by buying local produce.

Conservative - Councillor Horace Mitchell, who is standing again in Highclere and Bourne, and Councillor Elaine Still, who speaks on environment matters

EDUCATION will be the key to greater environmental success if the Conservatives come to power on May 4.

Cllr Still said: "Recycling should be improved and the big word I would use is education."

She believes word-of-mouth should be used rather than wasteful literature, with every councillor doing their bit to educate the people in their ward. Local business leaders should also be invited to meetings with the council.

But the Conservatives do not plan to introduce alternate weekly collection of dustbins.

Cllr Still believes more enforcement is needed against littering, fly-tipping and graffiti.

She said: "I would want to see a lot more of these penalties handed out and enforced."

She also wants to see bulky waste collection charges reduced, particularly for those on lower incomes.

The Conservatives believe a coherent plan is needed for transport, which should be part of the "masterplan" being drawn up by the borough council.

Cllr Mitchell believes it should also campaign for central Government to increase the amount of residential parking developers have to provide, and for the borough to plan better for footpaths and cycleways.

He would also like Basingstoke to pioneer a system already used in the Netherlands, where the area's public transport information would be on one website for people to plan journeys effectively instead of driving.

Cllr Mitchell also wants to see a new analysis of routes for the shuttle bus that runs between Basingstoke Leisure Park and Basing View, and better promotion of it.

Independent - Councillor Martin Biermann, who is standing again in Chineham

DESIGN has a major part to play in Cllr Biermann's wish-list to improve transport in the borough.

He believes new developments should take account of bus routes and leave room for cycle lanes. Monorails and trams should also be part of the borough's planning for public transport, he says.

Cllr Biermann would also like to see a better interchange between the train and bus stations, and believes the bus station could be moved as part of the redevelopment of The Malls.

He is continuing to push for Chineham to get its own railway station, wants the borough council to encourage Eurostar to come to Basingstoke, and wants the whole of the A33 to be dual carriageway to cut down on congestion and accidents.

He said: "While I am not in favour of major road schemes, I am in favour of making major roads safer."

In his view, the council could also set a good environmental example by giving staff electric cars for short work-related trips.

He believes a combination of collecting more recyclables at the kerbside, providing more recycling bins on industrial estates, more education and more facilities like the centre at Wade Road will improve recycling.

Streetcare resources need to be used more effectively, in his view, and litter bugs and graffiti artists should be fined.

He said: "I have no hesitation in being as vigorous about that as we are about parking fines."

If re-elected, Cllr Biermann will also continue pushing for developers to build eco-friendly homes that produce less carbon dioxide by installing solar panels or ground-source heating.

First published: Thursday, April 27, 2006