Climate change policies are the key to winning votes, a new poll claims. A survey commissioned by the LGA and carried out by ComRes, found six out of 10 people would be more likely to vote for a candidate in this year's local elections, if they had policies to tackle global warming. The age group most likely to be influenced at the elections by climate change was the 35 to 44-year-old (66%), and the least likely was the group aged 65 or older (54%). Environmental concerns also divide between gender – 66% of women said climate change would make it more likely they would vote, compared with 57% of men. The LGA claims councils could help cut carbon emissions by 150m tonnes of C02 a year, contributing to the national target of up to 32% reductions that the Government has pledged to achieve by 2020. LGA environment board chairman, Cllr Paul Bettison, said: ‘This poll shows that candidates for the local elections ignore policies to combat climate change at their peril. ‘There is clear support across the country, and in all age groups for action to be taken at a local level to tackle global warming.'
