Iain Donaldson responds to Friends of the Earth
Manchester Friends of the Earth have written to all candidates in this year's local elections. These are the answers given by Iain Donaldson, the Liberal Democrats Candidate for Hopwood Hall.
1. Do you support the legally binding targets in the Climate Change Act? Yes
The Climate Change Act 2008 is one of the UK’s proudest achievements. It was passed with cross-party support because the science was, and remains, unequivocal. As the Liberal Democrats have consistently argued, climate action is not just an environmental necessity, it is an economic opportunity and a moral responsibility.
Sticking to legally binding carbon budgets:
• Drives investment in clean energy and green infrastructure.
• Creates jobs across the UK in sectors like renewables and home insulation.
• Reduces long-term energy costs for households.
• Protects communities from worsening floods and extreme weather.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has repeatedly warned that rolling back climate commitments would be “economically reckless and environmentally dangerous,” stressing that delay only increases costs for future generations. Independent analysis, including work cited by Friends of the Earth, shows that ignoring climate science doesn’t make the problem go away; it makes it more expensive and more damaging.
Scrapping targets would undermine investor confidence, stall green growth, and leave the UK lagging other countries in the global transition.
The Liberal Democrats instead advocate going further:
• Accelerating the transition to renewable energy
• Expanding home insulation programmes
• Investing in clean transport
• Strengthening, not weakening, climate targets So the choice is straightforward: lead the transition and reap the benefits or fall behind and pay the price.
The Liberal Democrats firmly believe the UK must lead.
2. Will you support a landlord licensing scheme to deliver warmer, safer and healthier homes? Yes
The Liberal Democrats have long argued that everyone deserves a decent, energy-efficient home, and that the private rented sector must be properly regulated to ensure this.
Too many tenants are still living in cold, poorly insulated properties, often with little power to challenge landlords. Liberal Democrat housing policy makes clear that:
• We support stronger enforcement of housing standards, including licensing schemes where needed.
• We back measures to improve energy efficiency in rented homes, helping cut bills and carbon emissions.
• We believe councils should have the tools and funding to proactively inspect and improve housing conditions, rather than relying solely on tenant complaints.
Evidence from schemes like the one implemented by Liverpool City Council shows how licensing can drive up standards. By requiring landlords to meet clear conditions, including energy efficiency improvements, councils can tackle issues like damp, cold homes, and unsafe living conditions while also contributing to climate goals.
Groups such as Friends of the Earth have highlighted that proactive licensing helps overcome a key barrier: many tenants are understandably reluctant to report problems due to fear of eviction. Licensing shifts the burden away from tenants and onto local authorities to enforce standards.
The Liberal Democrats would go further by:
• Introducing a national register of landlords
• Setting higher minimum energy efficiency standards for rental properties
• Giving councils stronger powers to penalise rogue landlords
• Expanding support for insulation and retrofit programmes
This is about fairness as well as climate action. Warmer homes mean lower bills, better health, and reduced emissions. A robust licensing system is a practical, proven way to achieve that.
3. Will you push for a workplace parking levy for large and medium-sized businesses in Greater Manchester? Undecided
I have answered ‘Undecided’ because whilst in principle I would have no problem with a workplace levy, the public transport service in the area I seek to represent is so poor that a workplace levy would currently disadvantage residents living here.
The Liberal Democrats have consistently backed local, evidence-based solutions to congestion and air pollution, alongside investment in better public transport. A workplace parking levy is a practical tool that can help achieve both. However, it has to be combined with a much better public transport network. For example, I am calling for a direct bus service from Rochdale Infirmary, through Heywood, to Manchester City Centre via North Manchester General Hospital. Without this service in place a workplace levy would disadvantage people who live in Heywood from getting work in Manchester.
However, experience from Nottingham City Council shows what’s possible. Their scheme has successfully:
• Reduced congestion • Encouraged shifts to public transport.
• Raised significant funding for local transport improvements.
Crucially, if the bus service mentioned above were to be introduced first, and then the revenue raised is reinvested into infrastructure such as linking Heywood to national rail services, something the Liberal Democrats strongly support, then this aligns with our broader policy of improving buses, trams, and active travel options, giving people real alternatives to driving.
As highlighted in analysis from Friends of the Earth, schemes like this can cut emissions while supporting economic productivity by reducing time lost in traffic. With congestion in Manchester worsening, doing nothing is not a serious option.
That said, Liberal Democrats believe these schemes must be:
• Designed locally, with input from businesses and communities.
• Implemented fairly, avoiding undue burdens on small firms.
• Paired with visible improvements in public transport, so people have viable alternatives.
So yes, with these caveats met, I would push for a workplace parking levy as part of a wider, joined-up plan to tackle congestion, improve air quality, and invest in a greener, more efficient transport system for Greater Manchester.
4. Will you support your local council to set mandatory-green infrastructure standards to ensure access to nature for all within 15 minutes? Yes
The Liberal Democrats have consistently argued that access to nature is not a luxury, it’s essential for our health, wellbeing, and environment.
We are fortunate in Heywood to have a lot of access to nature, but this is constantly being encroached upon by new development. What’s more, too many communities, particularly in more deprived urban areas, are being left behind when it comes to green space.
Liberal Democrat policy supports:
• Embedding nature and green space into the planning system.
• Ensuring new developments include accessible parks, trees, and natural areas.
• Expanding protections for biodiversity and local green spaces.
• Giving councils stronger powers to require high environmental standards from developers.
Organisations such as Friends of the Earth and Wildlife and Countryside Link have highlighted the scale of the problem, millions of people still lack access to nearby nature, with real consequences for both physical and mental health. Mandatory standards would help fix this by making access to green space a basic expectation of good planning, not an afterthought.
They would also deliver wider benefits:
• Reducing flood risk through natural drainage.
• Cutting urban heat and improving air quality.
• Supporting wildlife and biodiversity recovery.
• Lowering pressure on the NHS by improving public health.
The Liberal Democrats would go further by promoting a legal right to a healthy environment, including access to nature close to home. We are also campaigning to ensure that the rivres in the natural environment we seek to access is not polluted by effluent, and that our natural environment is not polluted with fly-tipping and excessive landfill in badly managed sites.
In short, ensuring everyone can reach green space within 15 minutes is a practical, popular, and necessary step towards fairer, healthier, and more sustainable communities, and it’s something I would actively support in local government.
5. Will you support a significant increase in a network of radial and orbital bus priority routes to help provide consistent and reliable bus journey times across Greater Manchester? Yes
The Liberal Democrats have been clear that tackling congestion, improving air quality, and cutting emissions all depend on transforming public transport, especially buses, which carry the majority of public transport passengers in the region.
As I said in response to a previous question, I would support measures like a workplace parking levy if they formed a part of a joined-up transport strategy, one that reinvests in better alternatives to driving. A key part of that is investing in bus priority infrastructure. Without it, buses are stuck in the same congestion as cars, making them slower and less attractive. With it, they become a genuine alternative. This is not abstract, it has real local implications. For example, there is a clear need for a radial bus route from Rochdale Infirmary, via Heywood, to Manchester.
This would:
• Improve access to healthcare and employment.
• Better connect communities that are currently underserved.
• Reduce reliance on car journeys along a busy corridor.
Expanding both radial routes into the city centre and orbital routes between towns is essential to making the network work for everyone — not just those travelling into Manchester. Evidence highlighted by Friends of the Earth shows that bus priority schemes can significantly reduce emissions and congestion by shifting journeys away from private cars. Successful examples like the Leigh Guided Busway demonstrate how prioritising buses can remove hundreds of thousands of car trips from the road.
Liberal Democrat priorities align strongly with this approach:
• Expanding bus lanes and priority corridors across key routes.
• Ensuring buses are fast, frequent, and affordable.
• Integrating buses with wider transport systems, including rail and active travel.
• Giving local areas the powers and funding to plan networks around people’s needs.
Put simply, if we want people to choose the bus, we have to make it the best and fastest option, not the slowest and least direct one. That means giving buses priority on our roads and building a network that gets people from where they are to where they need to be, reflecting how they actually travel.
So yes, I would actively support a major expansion of radial and orbital bus priority routes, including vital links like Rochdale–Heywood–Manchester, as part of a serious plan to deliver cleaner air, lower emissions, and a more connected Greater Manchester.
6. Would you support your local council being a City of Sanctuary? Yes
Rochdale has one of the highest concentrations of asylum seekers in the UK and is already a part of the broader City of Sanctuary UK movement, which supports refugees and asylum seekers.
Rochdale Borough Council lists support for asylum seekers through local groups like Caring and Sharing and Talk English. The Borough is also home to several awarded "Sanctuary" institutions. Notably, Rochdale AFC became one of the first Football Clubs of Sanctuary in the UK, and local schools have also received School of Sanctuary awards. The Sanctuary Trust in Rochdale also focuses on helping people facing homelessness and other crises.
However, successive Central Governments have consistently failed to:
• Process asylum claims quickly.
• Offer gateways for asylum claims to be processed before people land on our shores.
• Co-ordinate any placement of asylum seekers with local government.
In the absence of such action, we are concerned that the actions of contractors acting on behalf of Government, offering landlords management contracts for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) which they can then let at inflated rentals for asylum seeker accommodation, causes resentment in our local communities. Locally, Rochdale Liberal Democrats have consistently supported building strong, inclusive communities where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Our approach has emphasised that integration works best when it is properly supported at a local level, with councils, voluntary groups, and residents working together.
Becoming part of the City of Sanctuary UK network would be a practical and positive step forward, signalling that the council is committed to:
• Creating a welcoming environment for refugees and people seeking asylum.
• Working with local partners to provide support, advice, and community connections.
• Promoting understanding and cohesion across the wider community.
Importantly, this is not about symbolism alone. The City of Sanctuary model helps councils coordinate efforts across housing, education, and community support, often at relatively low cost, while strengthening social cohesion.
Rochdale Liberal Democrats have highlighted that welcoming those in need and investing in community integration go hand in hand, helping to build safer, stronger, and more united neighbourhoods.
