Over 6,100 jobs could be created in Waltham Forest and Redbridge across green infrastructure and care work in the next two years. Working with the Green New Deal UK campaign, we are calling for all local MPs to support sufficient government investment in energy efficiency, renewables, R&D and care work. 1.2m green jobs could be created throughout Britain in at a cost of around £68bn, small compared to Covid-related spending but dealing with a crisis just as urgent.
On Saturday (24 April 2021), we staged a socially-distanced ‘CV queue’ outside Seven Kings Jobcentre with our handmade ‘Give us a job’ signs, and had a good reaction raising awareness of the campaign a few miles outside our usual patch. People are definitely ready for this. It’s just a case of snowballing the campaign. At the moment with lockdown, the thing to do is sign up online.
John Cryer MP joined us that afternoon on Christchurch Green. ‘Give us a job – fixing things’ seemed to be an appropriate placard for him to hold. He had earlier agreed to sign Early Day Motion 1766 in Parliament, tabled by MPs Caroline Lucas and Clive Lewis. While EDMs do not become law, they can help highlight a pressing need, in this case for new jobs and green jobs and action to retrofit homes. Half of greenhouse gas emissions in Redbridge come from existing building stock, and nearly 1,500 of the ‘green infrastructure’ jobs would be in improving home energy efficiency and services. Tina, literally with her architect’s hard hat on, knows the challenge of retrofitting so many homes, and the Climate Change Committee reports show what tiny fraction of the needed work has been happening.
| Constituency | Green jobs created in 2 years |
| Leyton and Wanstead | 1,104 |
| Ilford North | 1,477 |
| Ilford South | 1,300 |
| Chingford & Woodford Green | 1,133 |
| Walthamstow | 1,115 |
| Total Redbridge + Waltham Forest | 6,129 |
‘All around us we can see people losing their jobs, hours or pay and having to live on Universal Credit, which is not enough to get by. People want to work but the jobs don’t exist. Yet there is so much work that needs to be done. From jobs that prepare us for winter and lower our bills like insulating houses, and jobs that tackle climate change like building wind and solar energy, to key workers jobs which keep our communities strong and healthy, like caring, healthcare and teaching.’
Crucially, the ‘Green Jobs For All’ plan includes a guaranteed livelihood for anyone currently working in high-emission sectors. We want everyone on board.
Mei Moore, a parent with two children in a Wanstead primary school said: “I’m really worried about my children’s future. I want the government to take the climate crisis seriously and act fast. Investing and creating green jobs to help repair and build a better, greener future is essential and now is the time to do it.
“People are ready and willing to join. I would love to retrain to do something I could be proud of, that I know is going to help future generations. It could be fitting solar panels or looking after our green spaces.”
Will Crossley, a primary school teacher and member of Wanstead Climate Action, said: “The education system is responsible for preparing future generations to build a successful community by equipping them with the skills required to tackle the major issues of their time. Creating teaching leadership responsibilities focused on a climate curriculum, will bring climate onto the school curriculum on the level it should be, giving teachers and pupils more confidence to tackle the issues they face together.”
Press coverage:
Ilford Recorder: Climate demonstrators call for new ‘green jobs’ in Redbridge
Other press to come.
Wanstead Climate Action 