Shadow Cabinet members from the Medway Labour and Co-operative Group have expressed their concern regarding the lack of progress made in relation to the introduction of zero-emission buses around Britain.

Cllr Simon Curry, Medway Labour and Co-operative Group Shadow Cabinet member for Regeneration, Culture and the Environment said:

“The Prime Minister’s promise to secure 4,000 zero-emission buses for Britain has seen zero progress.

“Air pollution is a massive problem in Medway, particularly in my ward Luton and Wayfield. This is no trivial issue – poor air can cause serious health problems and even premature death.

“The current oil and gas crisis brings to the light the desperate need for the British economy to modernise and adopt zero-emission buses. We don’t want to be in a predicament where the instability caused by a dictator over 2,000 miles away can cause economic shocks here.

“Therefore a Labour-run Medway Council would try to lead the way on this issue, not only improving our environment, but taking a step towards strengthening our national security by being more self-reliant in the face of an unstable global energy market.”

Cllr Clive Johnson, Medway Labour and Cooperative Group Shadow Cabinet member for Children’s Services added:

“A key focus for us is to ensure that the bus network serves our communities as effectively as possible.  The recent delays to the Maritime Academy and the consequent decision to transport nearly two hundred children from Frindsbury to Lower Stoke by bus over the next year will have a major impact on air quality and congestion on the Peninsula.  Medway needs the zero-emissions buses that the Prime Minister promised and has failed to deliver.”