Simply, because the essence of any successful local environmental protection is – effective local action. The best people to look after any locality are usually going to be local residents. And because collective action is a normally more effective than that of an individual, a grouping is required to best represent this.
The UK government’s key environmental regulator, the Environment Agency, has rationalised and centralised, often losing invaluable experience and understanding of your neighbourhood’s environmental issues. In worst cases decisions regarding your locale are being made many miles away and some of these will simply be wrong or inappropriate. Don’t assume that any particular problem is being taken care of by other organisations – it more than likely is not.
As environmental issues move further up the agenda, worsening climate change, flood, drought, a need for renewable energy sources, etc., your own neighbourhood action is potentially very important.
An Action Group does not just raise problems – it can invaluably promote appropriate solutions.