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Local Elections - Information and Briefing There will be elections and referrenda across the country on Thursday 3 May 2012. Local elections are easy to sideline. They happen every year and to many the work of mayors and councils is routine and uninteresting, and so turnout is often low. Often people neither know nor care who their councillor is. Please click here for a briefing on the English Local Elections of 3 May 2012. The new Localism Act has delivered more power to the hands of local councils, and communities, giving councillors and local groups more powers. This November, various districts will be holding referendums on the introduction of elected police and crime commissioners - which will mean more elections! ___________ Government Commits to Minimum Unit Price for Alcohol After several years' campaigning by doctors, charities and faith groups, the UK Government has acknowledged the basic fact that alcohol has become too cheap and too strong. In line with medical research, the Coalition's Alcohol Strategy includes a commitment to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol, with a consultation on the actual price to follow shortly. Similar proposals are being discussed in Scotland and in a cross-border strategy for the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland; the Government's proposal applies to England and Wales. Many thanks to those who wrote to their MPs as part of the Churches' Measure For Measure campaign. It is important that the reasons for minimum unit pricing are put clearly: studies have shown that a price of between 40p and 50p is optimal, ideally nearer the latter. The figures the Government is using assume a 40p price though Teresa May has indicated that a higher price may be needed. Action on pricing is only the beginning. The Methodist Church and its partners will continue to work to ensure that communities have a say in shaping the UK's drinking culture. Please use the Measure For Measure website for current information as the Alcohol Strategy is implemented. ___________ Better off without Trident – TAKE ACTION The Baptist Union of Great Britain, The Methodist Church and The United Reformed Church have released a briefing on the economic cost of Trident demonstrating that public services, employment opportunities and national security would all be better off without Trident. Further information is available: Our briefing on where currently political parties stand on the issue. (Feb 2012) The Churches' submission to the BASIC Trident Commission, July 2011 Trident White Paper - Submission of evidence to the Parliamentary Defence Select Committee (PDF) – 2007 Now is the Time - The UK Churches campaign around the 2010 NPT Review Conference CND’s report on Where Trident could be placed in the event of an independent Scotland (January 2012) ___________ Churches' Response to Feed-in Tariffs Consultation United Reformed, Baptist and Methodist Churches and Quakers in Britain have responded to the Department of Energy and Climate Change's consultation on Comprehensive Review Phase 1 - tariffs for solar PV. Close the Gap Campaign Calls on UK Government to End Tax Avoidance - See Below For Suggested Action
On 31 Oct, representatives of churches and social justice organisations - including Methodist, United Reformed and Baptist churches, Quakers and Justice and Peace Network - delivered an open letter to Chancellor George Osborne detailing the urgent need to end tax avoidance. At a time of economic crisis and austerity measures, it is unacceptible that tax avoidance and evasion cost the UK at least £35bn per year. To email the Chancellor and call for an end to offshore VAT avoidance, click here. The letter can be viewed here. Groups involved in the Close the Gap campaign also wrote a letter to the Daily Telegraph Peacemaking Sunday Peacemaking Sunday is on 18 September 2011 - download free resources Trident The BASIC Trident Commission is made up of former parliamentarians, defence staff and academics. It will be reporting in spring 2012. Click here to read our Churches' submission. Equality Act 2010 The Joint Public Issues Team have produced a briefing that provides guidance for churches on the Equality Act 2010 Download the Equality Act 2010 Briefing (Pdf) Take Action on Palm Oil Palm oil in widely used in foods and fuels. But 13 million hectares a year of rainforest continue to be lost due to oil palm cultivation - this unsustainable level of deforestation is comparable to 36 football fields a minute. In addition, palm oil logging in Indonesia has become the greatest threat to the survival of Orang Utans in the wild. At the direction of the 2010 Methodist Conference, the Joint Public Issues Team and the Joint Advisory Committee on Ethical Investment have continued to work with NGOs towards increasing the percentage of sustainable palm oil used in the UK. Supermarkets are engaging with this work and Government has recently produced reports on policy options around palm oil. Now, churches are calling on the UK Government to lead by example by confirming its own commitment to increasing the use of sustainable palm oil in its own public procurement. Click here for more information on palm oil and details of how to get involved. ___________ The Referendum on the Alternative Vote The referendum on the Alternative Vote will be taking place on Thursday 5 May. For two personal views on why people are supporting the Yes and No campaigns, read the article here. (First appeared in the Methodist Recorder in April 2011). Energy Bill Briefing The Energy Security and Green Economy Bill is being debated in Parliament between April and June 2011. Use this briefing to ask your MP to ensure that this Bill is strengthened so that it leads to effective action. Take action on Trident The decision on Trident replacement has been postponed, but the Government wants to buy steel and nuclear reactor components for submarines anyway... Click here to read more and take action Local Election Briefing - Thursday 5 May 2011 New resources for the coming local elections are now available, including information for churches countering extremist or racist political parties: Election BriefingPolitical Extremism Resources to help churches seeking to respond to extremist parties and social movements. Click here ___________ Created in God's Image Contemporary challenges and principles in relating to early human life: click here for the new study guide ___________ Public Issues Conference January 2011 Will Hutton addressed a free conference hosted by the Methodist Church, United Reformed Church and Baptist Union of Great Britain on the 22nd of January 2011. The conference - entitled Poverty of Ambition? Churches and a Politics of Hope - looked at how churches can engage with contemporary political issues. There was a range of workshops aimed at experienced policy professionals, enthusiasts and people who simply wanted to know more. A major theme of the conference was how churches can respond to the cuts announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review and how this relates to the concept of the 'Big Society'. The venue was Carr's Lane Church Centre, Birmingham. ___________ *The Big Climate Connection* Supporters from more than 100 organisations and many church members came together in their communities for the Big Climate Connection on 5/6 November 2010. This constituency lobby of MPs was organised by Stop Climate Chaos. People from all walks of life – from environment to development groups, from unions to local community and health groups – called on their MPs for action on climate change. The following briefing outlined recommendations from the three churches on Climate Finance as well as on UK energy and climate change policy. ___________ Remembrance Sunday Resources Click here for resources for 2010 ___________
The Joint Public Issues Team exists to enable our three churches to work together in living out the gospel of Christ in the church and in society. We will promote equality and justice by influencing those in power and by energising and affirming local congregations. We are here to help:
____________ Election Special For a briefing on the local election, a guide to key policies within the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos and a special election prayer see our section of Resources for the Elections ____________ Action Cards We regularily contribute towards the 'Christians Aware' Action Cards, see the briefing for May 2009 _________ We cover a range of current affairs. For a flavour of the work we do visit our issues pages. We produce free downloadable resources. See our publications. If you would like more information please contact us. Newsletter We produce a newsletter every six weeks. It contains news, information about events, resources and opportunities for you to get involved. Sign up to receive our newsletter by e-mail
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