Climate Policies

A Labour Tunbridge Wells Borough Councillor has called the mass tree planting scheme of the ruling Liberal Democrats "an expensive distraction."

Labour's Jayne Sharratt told West Kent Radio that the Liberal Democrat scheme to plant a tree for every resident will not be effective in mitigating climate change.

Cllr Sharratt was in charge of carbon reduction policies during the council coalition administration which ended last year.

The Liberal Democrats pledged to plant 116,000 trees in their local election campaign last May.

Cllr Jayne Sharratt said: "The Borough already has three times the national average tree cover. It's just not backed up by ecological evidence or science that planting up to 116 football pitches worth of trees is what actually needs to be done."

She continued: "Nobody is against tree planting in itself. Trees are amazing but they can't absorb carbon at the rate at which we burn it. So if that's your answer to climate change, that's not enough."

You can listen back to Jayne Sharratt talking about tree planting, housebuilding and transport issues here:

Cllr Sharratt concluded: "If you're concentrating on figuring out how you're going to plant 116,000 trees - on that scale - then you're not going to be thinking about the things that you actually need to be doing.  And that's my real worry about it.  This is just an expensive distraction I think".

Liberal Democrat councillors and the local MP Mike Martin took part in a tree planting event back in December with pupils from St John’s Primary School Eco Club (picture below).

They planted at least 100 disease resistant elm trees in Grosvenor and Hilbert Park. At the time Mike Martin MP said: “It’s great to see local activists and community members taking seriously the health of our community and environment and I am delighted to witness this ambitious and important initiative take off."

In the West Kent Radio interview on Friday 7th March 2025, Labour councillor Jayne Sharratt was also asked about the Labour government's support for a big expansion of Heathrow and Gatwick airports. 

She indicated she supported the objections to Gatwick expansion raised by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and restated in January, pointing to concerns over increased plane noise, climate change and surface transport.

Jayne Sharratt was also asked about rising bus fare and train fares under Labour.  She agreed fares were now "ludicrous" as it cost her £18 return travelling with her children to get from Rusthall to Tunbridge Wells by bus, as there are no longer any child fares. 

But she blamed "unreasonable" behaviour by the local bus company Arriva for the situation, saying bus companies were not obliged to raise fares to the £3 cap: "The problem isn't the cap being raised, it's private companies making profits."

She said the Labour government was investing £1 billion in buses for the 2025-2026 financial year to enhance services, introduce new routes, and protect essential bus routes in local communities. Labour also plans to lift the ban on local authorities running bus services, which means she thinks "things should improve".

A spokesperson for Arriva South said: “Following the government's change to the bus fare cap, all bus operators have had to adjust their pricing structures.

“While some longer-distance fares that were previously capped at £2 have risen to £3 under the government scheme, the vast majority of single journeys across England still cost under £3.

“To ensure passengers get the best value, we always recommend asking the driver for the most suitable ticket, as the system will calculate the correct fare.

“Contrary to recent claims, we continue to offer child fares, as we always have. Any suggestion that we have removed child discounts or are unfairly profiting from a fare adjustments is simply incorrect. Our focus remains on providing reliable, affordable and accessible bus services for all passengers.”

On Labour's big increase in housebuilding targets, Jayne Sharratt said she frequently spoke to people living without adequate housing currently. 

She said the country was facing a "housing crisis" and there had to be a balance between protecting nature and building homes.  She said: "It's important that people have somewhere to live - because people are really struggling."

Jayne Sharratt's interview on the Friday drivetime programme with Martin Webber began by discussing events to mark International Women's Day and why she went into local politics. You can listen to this section here: