Press Release – Immediate Release 26/3/15
Cambridge Greens call time on clock changes
As the long awaited summer evenings arrive with the turning forward of the clocks this weekend,
the Cambridge Greens are calling for an overhaul to the system of time changes in the UK. The
Green Party want British Summer Time to start earlier in the year and to end later, a compromise,
proposed by local MP Candidate Dr Rupert Read, that would offer people 2 more months of lighter
evenings.
Dr Read said: “This system would have the advantage of bringing lighter evenings for an extra two
months a year, whilst not making the mornings any darker than they are now in mid-winter. It would
mean that the crucial travel-to-school time would remain in daylight. We think this is a good
compromise between the status quo and the idea of extending BST year round, which would make
the mornings too dark, particularly in the north.
"The sun rises early and sets early here in the east, so we tend to have fewer daylight hours in which
to work and play than anywhere else in the country.
"Lighter evenings would reduce road casualties and crime, which is why the emergency services
favour keeping Summer Time for longer. Less consumption of domestic energy would save
householders hundreds of pounds a year, and would also boost the region's domestic tourism.”
Greens across the country will be seeing in the longer evenings by taking part in Earth Hour, a
worldwide initiative encouraging people to turn their electric lights out for an hour to signal their
commitment to creating a sustainable future.
Dr Rupert Read will be observing Earth Hour with other leading lights of the English and Welsh
Green Party at a fundraising dinner in London.
ENDS
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press@greenparty.cambridge.org.uk or 07951414757.
Stuart
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