Steve Brine backs experiment that promises to light up our lives a little more.
Politicians often claim to bring a little more sunshine into our lives but the man hoping to be Winchester's next MP reckons he has an idea that could do just that.
Steve Brine, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Winchester, is backing a three-year experiment that will stop the clocks going back in October and bring the benefit of lighter evenings to among other groups, Winchester school children and their parents at home time.
The Energy Saving 'Daylight' Bill is being put forward by Conservative MP Tim Yeo and Steve claims its benefits are well worth giving it a chance.
"The extra hour of daylight as a result of this change would save lives and reduce injuries on Winchester's roads, particularly around our schools during the winter months. The Government's own road safety minister says he accepts up to 100 lives would be saved and that is paramount in my mind where this proposal is concerned".
In addition Steve, who has recently launched his 'Green Winchester' campaign, believes there are important energy saving aspects to having an extra hour of daylight. He says "A better alignment of the time we are awake and the time we have of daylight would obviously reduce energy demand and cut fuel bills. This has been confirmed to me by the National Grid".
"Other benefits include those for local businesses, which could find themselves trading on the same time as continental Europe, and the positive impact it would have on crime and anti-social behaviour. And finally, the change would hopefully have a minimizing effect on early morning air traffic noise, especially relevant for people living in the Itchen Valley and South of Winchester underneath the Southampton Airport flight path".
Steve want to hear the views of local people on the proposed change and is asking them to email feedback to steve@stevebrine.com
UPDATED NEWS ON THIS STORY - The bill came before MPs on 25 January 2007 but failed to attract enough support to allow it to progress further though the Parliamentary process. That means it now stands less chance of being law but campaigners will press on.