South East Essex
Friends of the Earth

SEEFoE Meeting, 5th February 2008

Agenda for SEEFoE Meeting of 5th February 2008, 7:30pm

  1. Apologies for absence
  2. Minutes of last meeting
  3. Press coverage
  4. Domain name renewal
  5. Membership fees
  6. Anna Waite's talk to Southend Pensioners' Campaign
  7. Big Ask Stall
  8. Regional Gathering
    • Nuclear Power - what next? (DW)
    • Engaging the public in aviation campaigning (MW)
    • Winning site battles: from Dibden Bay to your local road campaign (GY)
    • How to win your local renewables campaign (DW)
    • The planning system and you: How to lobby key decision makers (MW)
    • Agrofuels and how to influence European decision makers (GY)
  9. Southend Airport
  10. Cycling in Basildon (PW)
  11. Forthcoming Events
    • 27/03 7pm - Dolphins across the Med - a lecture
      Royal Geographic Society, London SW7
    • 02/04 6:30pm - The Business Response to Climate Change
      Cecil Sharpe House, London NW1 7AY
    • 05/04 - The Big Ask Day of Action
    • 16-18/05 - Power Up (Rights & Justice weekend)
      Harborne Hall, Birmingham - http://community.foe.co.uk/events/power_up/
  12. Next meeting
  13. AOB

Minutes

  1. Apologies for absence:
    Kim Power, Keith Jones
    Present:
    Peter Walker (PW), Denis Walker (DW), Michael Woolcott (MW), Michael Downer (MD), Jon Fuller (JF), Sarah Fuller (SF), Gabrielle Yeadelle (GY). And Morphy.
  2. Minutes of last meeting:
    Proposed JF, seconded DW.
  3. Press coverage:
    DW on TV; Anglia tonight about nuclear power. 15 mins talking got about 20 seconds coverage on the piece. Came across as being a pro nuclear article. JF mentions the MOD having problems with turbines due to it interfering with radar- was in the Times 4/2/08. MD says the Americans are behind this. MW asks about the RSPB being against wind- it is explained that they are not against it per se, but only in particular sites where they see it as a danger to lots of birds.
  4. Domain name renewal:
    Expenditure of £20 to cover renewal of seefoe.org.uk for the next two years unanimously approved.
  5. Membership fees:
    £10 per annum. Was due on the 1/1/08. Discussion about offering a discount to unwaged members. This will be considered at the AGM in June. Members have until the beginning of July to pay membership fees, after which time they will be considered to no longer be a member.
  6. Anna Waite's talk to Southend Pensioners' Campaign:
    DW, MD and GY went. She spent the first 30 mins talking about her responsibilities, and then a little about what she was hoping to do. They’ve been given £5m to spend on progress road improvements at the junction with the A127. Improvements to Sutton road and eastern avenue. £3m on Southend Victoria, but this was apparently funded by the EU and asked for by the station, rather than being a council initiative. £6.3m on A13- bus stops, paving etc. Hamlet Court road has been given some super duper bus stops, but no buses actually run down it. Cycling, again lots of hoping to do things. Has agreed to 20mph speed limits, so MD is writing to her about it. MW wants cycle path along the cinder path. Can we move path in towards the train line rather than out towards the Thames? MW- network rail are difficult.
  7. Big Ask Stall
    Southend 1st March 10am-1pm. In Thurrock postcards need giving to Andrew Mackinlay, but we need a constituent. This needs doing before the 1st April when the climate change bill goes back to the commons.
  8. Regional Gathering:
    MW, DW and GY each went to different workshops. For DW and GY reports see appendices. MW went to “Engaging the public in aviation campaigning” and also “the planning system and you: how to lobby key decision makers”.
    • Nuclear Power - what next? (DW)
    • Engaging the public in aviation campaigning (MW)
    • Winning site battles: from Dibden Bay to your local road campaign (GY)
    • How to win your local renewables campaign (DW)
    • The planning system and you: How to lobby key decision makers (MW)
    • Agrofuels and how to influence European decision makers (GY)
  9. The Convenient Solution:
    Watched 10 min film from Greenpeace - also available on the front page of the SEEFoE website.
  10. Southend Airport:
    Southend Airport for Sale. Looks like they can’t build anything until it’s bought. JF wants page on website for airport actions. DW says airport campaign is probably no longer a priority. Also need to work on alternative Renaissance Southend proposals.
  11. Cycling in Basildon (PW):
    PW commutes to Basildon by train and bike. New no cycling signs. Wrote to Terry Buck and was sent a map of cycle routes in Basildon. Tried cycling on road, and it was absolute madness, so wrote to Bala Menhendren, the chief executive of the council to ask about safe cycle routes.
  12. Forthcoming Events:
    • 27/03 7pm - Dolphins across the Med - a lecture
      Royal Geographic Society, London SW7
    • 02/04 6:30pm - The Business Response to Climate Change
      Cecil Sharpe House, London NW1 7AY
    • 05/04 - The Big Ask Day of Action
    • 16-18/05 - Power Up (Rights & Justice weekend)
      Harborne Hall, Birmingham - http://community.foe.co.uk/events/power_up/
  13. Next meeting:
    4th March, 7.30pm at 62 East Street. Mary Edwards, East of England Regional campaign co-ordinator to attend.
  14. AOB:
    DW to meet Shaun Quereshi about council elections. PPPS newsletter in time for elections- early April.

Meeting closes 9:30pm