Mike Robb Labour Candidate - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey has said to BSCG:

"Securing our environment alongside securing the recovery must be vital priorities for the next UK Government.  I believe that Climate Change and Global Warming are real and that many of the factors contributing to them are caused by our own actions and inactions as a society and as individuals.

Dealing with climate change needs national Government to take the lead to ensure that we reduce our dependency on greenhouse gas generating energy sources.    But we must do this in ways which support and sustain local communities.  That means prioritising investments which create jobs, help reduce fuel poverty and minimise unnecessary impact on the local environment.

We need to spend as much time, money and effort on radical measures to reduce energy consumption, improve energy efficiency and promote community-based renewable schemes, as we do building industrial scale wind farms.

The Highlands are a focus for such investments with so many high windy places and powerful offshore sources of energy.   That will inevitably mean facing up to some difficult decisions.  My priority will be to ensure we exploit our natural resources in ways which benefit us all and don't just line the pockets of the energy companies.

In the Highlands we also need to work out the best way to develop facilities for job-generating tourism and building affordable housing for local working families, whilst minimising the impact on our traditional landscapes."

www.mikerobb.org.uk

Note: On Friday April 16th BSCG is holding a General Election Hustings.