Sustainability Councillor of the Year

It was very kind of the Local Government Information Unit to make me Sustainability Councillor of the Year at their first national councillor awards ceremony.

The press release says judges described me as “a “real terrier” and noted that: "He is someone who won’t let you forget about the climate change agenda. He is a very visible champion of these issues and his local persistence has made him well known in Camden and beyond.”

But best of all was Cllr Richard Kemp, the Leader of the Liberal Democrats at the Local Government Association who welcomed the news that Lib Dem councillors had won three of the nine awards up for grabs with these immortal words: “All three of these councillors are young, energetic and thoroughly liberal.” Young? Me? I just use a good moisturiser I think you'll find!

Here's the quote I sent the LGIU:

“I haven’t found these last four years easy. Trying to effect dramatic change in a council as a backbencher is a bit like trying to shift the Titanic from its fateful course. Thankfully we’re starting to change direction. But there are more icebergs ahead.

"Too few councils understand the implications of the coming end of cheap oil (“peak oil”). Too few politicians walk the walk as well as they talk the talk. Councils are not yet open enough to new ideas like those coming from the Transition Towns movement. But there are hopeful signs. In many cases councils are doing what’s right for their community and the planet even when external signals are telling them to do something else.

"I firmly believe that councils and communities, working together, can make a huge difference on the climate change and peak oil agenda. So let’s get on with it.”