London: The local government organisation London Councils, is concerned that the problem of plastic shopping bags will not be adequately addressed by the Climate Change Bill that is currently passing through Parliament. The organisation has today (Tuesday) called on MPs to ensure the Climate Change Bill includes concrete measures to tackle the "environmental blight" which it considers is caused by single use shopping bags.
The organisation wishes to see the setting out a timetable for action and a guarantee of a minimum charge for single use shopping bags in the Bill, and has suggested its own amendments to this end. The Bill receives its third reading in Parliament today
London Councils' cross-party leadership have urged MPs to back their Climate Change Bill amendments, which the body considers would "guarantee decisive action to reduce the number of bags either being sent to landfill or littering the environment each year".
London Councils says that following the pressure exerted by itself and other campaigners, the Government put down amendments to the Climate Change Bill directly related to address the shopping bags issue.
However London Councils says that it is concerned that these Government amendments "do not go far enough, and in particular, do not specify when, or even if, action will be taken - and what form that action will take".