TEST VALLEY’S record on waste recycling is shameful – and yet our councils consistently bury the news deep in your pages and remain in denial.

Latest Government figures show that the annual waste generated per person here reduced by less than the weight of 2 bags of sugar in 5 years.

Only 36.9% of the waste collected from homes in Test Valley is recycled or reused compared with an average of 47.6% for the South East as a whole.

This should be on the front page.

And yet Tory council leader Phil North dodges the bullet by pointing to inadequate facilities at Hampshire County Council.

Is it just coincidence that the top three councils for recycling in Hampshire are all controlled by Liberal Democrats?

When councils such as Eastleigh or Winchester get serious about food waste, glass collection or supporting zero-waste businesses – suddenly figures leap.

Last time I looked, Eastleigh (43%) was in Hampshire too.

HCC too needs a clear plan to invest in renewables to create green energy.

Liberal Democrats have the climate emergency at the heart of all of our policies. We will target zero emissions by 2035 – 15 years ahead of the current vague and unambitious plan.

We will rethink public transport, support greening homes, tackle air quality and demand a healthier Hampshire for all.

We need action in Test Valley – not excuses. We need ambition in Hampshire – not empty words. If we don’t take action locally, it will literally cost us the Earth.

David Hall

Test Valley Liberal Democrats