A councillor has spoken out about why she is letting her children miss school and join the climate strike in Norwich.

Eastern Daily Press: Cllr Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw (Green Party)Cllr Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw (Green Party) (Image: Archant)

In a letter to the school, Green councillor Elfrede Brambley-Crawshaw, from Beccles, detailed the reasons why her two children will miss school and go to Norwich's fourth Youth Strike 4 Climate outside City Hall on Friday, September 20.

Mrs Brambley-Crawshaw, who has been selected as the Green party's parliamentary candidate for Waveney ahead of the next general election, said she and her husband did not take the decision lightly to remove their children from school, but felt it was their duty to "empower my children to take meaningful action" as "they will live with the legacy of our inaction on Climate Change."

She said: "I have seen first hand the reaction to the Children's Climate Strike in local government. Without this action, and the bravery of Greta Thunburg, I believe the small steps that have been taken would not have been taken at all."

The former Beccles mayor added her children would benefit educationally from attending and planning for this strike.

She said: "We have had lots of important discussion in advance, including the importance of their education, why we need to protect the environment and other movements that have used protest to show distress at a situation and make change. Including the suffragettes, the civil rights movement and the early pride marches.

"We have also petitioned our local MP, made banners and printed t-shirts. Both of my children have learnt about the political process and how to respectfully and peacefully stand up for something they believe in."

Mrs Brambley-Crawshaw emphasised recent Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports on runaway climate change, and stated the political system "needs to catch up".

"Even now here and across the world disturbing trends are creating life altering conditions. We are the last generation to be able to take meaningful action, which is a very sobering thought. I believe we all need to step up, in whatever way we can."

However, Conservative chairman Barry Stone who represents Loddon, said: "They should be staying in school, not having a day out. Schoolchildren need education."