Greener and Safer Buildings

In December 2003 I came top of the ballot of MPs selected to steer their own bill through Parliament. Coming top of a Private Member's Bill list is an opportunity that every MP dreams of - an opportunity to translate a personal passion into law and touch people's lives. I chose a bill that would make our homes and the buildings we work in greener for the environment, safer from vandalism and crime, and cheaper to run. It has the active support of Greater Manchester Police, and of WWF, who are running a campaign in parallel with my Bill to create a million sustainable homes across Britain.

The media focus is always on environmental damage done by cars, so most people have no idea that we burn more energy in our homes each year than we do in our cars! Buildings in the UK are responsible for 54% of all our carbon dioxide emissions, and half of that is produced by our homes. More energy efficient buildings equal lower fuel bills, more warmth and more comfort in winter, and a potentially massive reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

At the moment police have no powers to make builders install the minimum burglar-proof standards in buildings, and can only give 'advice' to developers on anti-crime design. My bill will change that, too, allowing crime resistance to be built into buildings just as fire resistance is already.

My Sustainable and Secure Buildings Bill has successfully made it over all the parliamentary hurdles and was given Royal Assent on 16th September, and is now The Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004.

The Act creates new powers to make Building Regulations on these topics, and also requires the Government to report to Parliament every two years on what it has done. The next task is to make quite sure the new Act doesn't just sit on a shelf getting dusty, but that the necessary regulations come forward quickly, and that the first report to Parliament demonstrates real progress being made.

It's been a great success to get an Act of Parliament onto the Statute Book, but there is a lot more to be done before our buildings and our environment get the benefits.

Link to the text of the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act .

Link to the WWF site on Sustainable Housing.