Local groups in Haringey lobby Lynne Featherstone MP on climate change and the proposed Energy Bill

Fifteen residents of Lynne Featherstone's Hornsey & Wood Green constituency in Haringey - representing a wide variety of groups - joined a lobby of the MP on 29 March. We included UK Youth Climate Coalition, Haringey Youth Council, the London Islamic Cultural Centre, Transition Crouch End, Highgate Climate Action Network, Sustainable Haringey, Muswell Hill Sustainability Group, and 2 local FOE groups.

Lynne is Minister for Equalities and hence cannot vote for any amendments not supported by the government, but we were keen to persuade her to call on her fellow ministers to strengthen the current Energy Bill going through Parliament.

The youth reps made the case for the urgency of addressing climate change, and others made the case for agreeing the recommendations of the House of Commons Committee on Climate Change. An architect involved in retrofitting homes criticised the Green Deal and explained where it needed strengthening - and made the point that 22% of households in the borough are in private rented accommodation. Lynne acknowledged that landlords often need pushing to carry out improvements, and that tenants need protection if they ask for it.

Haringey has adopted a target of cutting emissions by 40% by 2020 - unanimously supported by LibDem and Labour councillors - and is supporting the call for a duty to cut emissions by this much - but we argued that other councils wouldn't be ambitious unless they had a mandatory duty to do so.

Lynne undertook to take up all our points with the relevant ministers.