Greenpeace campaigners have unveiled a billboard in Stevenage as they try to persuade parliamentary candidates to support eco-friendly policies.

They are asking the candidates to "listen or lose" after a Survation survey found that, of people who revealed an opinion, 74 per cent of Stevenage residents said they will vote with the climate and environment in mind at the general election.

As well as the billboard in Roebuck Retail Park, Greenpeace campaigners in Stevenage have written to parliamentary candidates, requesting urgent meetings to discuss the climate and urging them to push for more environmentally-friendly policies in their party manifestos.

The campaigners, described by Greenpeace as 'Climate Voters', are part of the organisation's national Project Climate Vote campaign. They are aiming to recruit one million Climate Voters by the time the next general election is held, which must be no later than January 2025.

Isabel Wilks, Greenpeace's local group coordinator, said: "Greenpeace are sending a message to political candidates that local people care deeply about the climate.

"We need a government that will insulate our draughty homes and prioritise renewables to get our energy bills down.

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"For too long, politicians have served the interests of fossil fuel giants at the expense of ordinary people climate and nature."

She said that volunteers in Stevenage have been talking to voters "to make sure our next MP takes the climate and nature seriously".

Phil Skone, a Climate Voter in Stevenage, added: “I’ve been speaking to many people on the doorstep in Stevenage, and it’s clear that local residents want stronger action on climate, for now and for future generations.

"They’re fed up with being ignored by politicians, and they want to make sure their voices are heard. 

“For too long politicians have served the interests of the elite, making fossil fuel giants and water companies ever richer at the expense of ordinary people, climate and nature. This has to stop at the next election. We don’t have another five years to waste.

“I’m calling out to local Stevenage residents to join me and thousands of others to become Climate Voters so that we can make sure our next MP takes the climate and nature crisis seriously.”

Greenpeace are asking the political parties to commit to policies such as:

  • Spending £6bn annually on improving insulation in homes
  • Setting legal targets for eliminating sewage spills
  • Spending an additional £8bn annually on public transport infrastructure
  • Ending all new permits for fossil fuels
  • Mandate that all new buildings must have solar panels

The general election in Stevenage is expected to be a two-way fight between Alex Clarkson and Kevin Bonavia, standing for the Conservatives and Labour respectively.