Last night was the Council meeting which set the budget for the 2010/11 financial year. Stroud Green Councillor Ed Butcher is our finance spokesperson so presented our alternative budget, with a detailed and costed amendment calling for extra police, more recycling, and a freeze in Council charges (paid for by cutting Labour’s waste and spin).
Labour rejected our budget amendment, and bizarrely attacked our plans to boost late night policing. However, Ed won the argument on improving battery recycling and at the very last minute Labour changed their budget to partly adopt our plans.
Currently the Council provides just a handful of places for residents to take batteries, so Ed argued for 100 more recycling points in convenient locations like libraries and schools. Its great news that he has successfully pushed the Council into action to protect the environment from dangerous pollution from batteries.