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The Reform UK-run council in West Northamptonshire is systematically removing all references to climate change and net zero from its strategies, website and documents, Byline Times can reveal – while simultaneously continuing to take Government cash for green projects.
The move follows the council scrapping its net zero targets, in a controversial decision last Wednesday that sparked local protests. The news was announced in an article in The Telegraph – around two hours before the actual decision had been voted on.
An email from the council’s Chief Executive last Thursday (17th July), seen by this newspaper, states: “You may also be aware that a report went to last night’s Cabinet taking forward the new administration’s proposals to refocus the Council’s work around sustainability and removing local net zero targets (for 2030 in the council and to support wider achievement by 2045) in favour of prioritising practical, high-impact projects.
“The report was subject to extensive debate and last night’s meeting understandably drew a large amount of public interest and media coverage, but ultimately with [the Reform] Cabinet approving all the recommendations put forward.”
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And the internal memo reveals a drastic change in language for the local authority: “Following [the] decision, we will now be reviewing and updating our council’s existing strategies in line with the agreed new approach, which will include practical steps such as reviewing and removing references to ‘net zero’ and referring to ‘environmental impact’ instead of ‘climate impact’ within our reports, policies and strategies to better reflect the broader focus.”
Council staff were told: “Your support and involvement in helping us with this review will be really important as we now start to work on refocusing our sustainability approach.”
But the authority has been accused of hypocrisy, as it will continue taking Government grants and cash for climate-related projects.
The Chief Executive notes: “I would like to emphasise that our Council is continuing with its wider sustainability work, still publishing our Annual Sustainability Report and will continue to work towards our environmental accreditation.
“We will also continue with projects that deliver long term savings like solar power and warm home initiatives. We will also develop and deliver a Sustainability Strategy and all services across our organisation will continue to play a key role in this work to protect and improve our local environment.”
The Cabinet decision to scrap net zero targets has been ‘called in’ for review by a committee of councillors, so the row shows little sign of ending soon.
One opposition councillor said: “When are we burning the books? Because that’s what “don’t mention climate” is…It’s nonsense.
“And that’s extra effort, time and energy that people have now got to do just to put a different word in because they don’t like the word “climate.” It’s so frustrating.”
And the councillor pointed to the figure at the millions Reform UK has taken from climate-change deniers and fossil fuel interests: “There’s no coincidence, I don’t think, that we’re suddenly having to eradicate “net zero” and “climate” from everything, given who pays their bills…
“It’s completely duplicitous to abolish net zero mentions while taking solar and warm homes cash,” they added.
Another, Lib Dem Councillor Christine Ware, told the fiery Cabinet meeting on Wednesday: “Councils should be focusing their resources across those projects that provide the greatest benefits to residents. There can be no greater benefit than protecting the environment in which we live and which will be handed on to future generations of residents…
“[Reform] should consider how they explain themselves to future generations. Please provide clear and positive leadership on this crucial issue that is the climate emergency.”
Lib Dem group leader Jonathan Harris went further, saying: “I think it’s important to have wider views than maybe just GB News or The Telegraph. Green energy is now, by fact, far cheaper to produce [than fossil fuels].
“Surely it can’t be a coincidence that a substantial amount of Reform’s funding appears to be from donors in the fossil fuel sector– some climate science deniers and some high polluters. Many are millionaires, if not billionaires.
“The most wealthy donors sit in the richest 1% of the world’s population, and they produce as much carbon pollution as the 5 billion people making up the poorest two-thirds of humanity. It will take 1,500 years for the poorest 1% to produce as much carbon as the richest 1% produce in one year.
“It really does seem to be a bit like the case of ‘I’m all right, Jack.’”
Addressing Reform councillors, he added: “Your party leader [Farage] has been in the national press stating that his councils will be dropping net zero targets…[There’s] no sign of local decisions made by local people, [and] no sign of engagement with local people to be involved in that decision-making process.”
Net zero targets are enshrined in UK law, while Gordon Brown’s Climate Change Act 2008 puts a responsibility on councils for mitigation and adaptation.
That requires reducing emissions and making changes in the environment to cope with climate change. Reform would appear likely to repeal both pieces of legislation should they win power nationally.
West Northants council has received millions in grant funding for net zero-linked projects. As the local Green Party has highlighted, funds won include: £2.6m of funding to support residents with home energy efficiency improvements through the Warm Homes Local Grant scheme, just over £2.8 million to improve infrastructure to charge electric vehicles from the government’s Local Electrical Vehicle Infrastructure Capital Fund (LEVI), and a £9.4m Government grant to bring a fleet of electric buses to West Northants by late 2026.
“Through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, we have invested £7,074,540 to upgrade the heating of the four rural leisure centres to air source heat pumps and solar panels,” the council’s latest sustainability report notes.
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A West Northamptonshire Council spokesman told Byline Times: “The Council continues to focus on its work to protect and improve the environment and will be developing and delivering a Sustainability Strategy focusing on practical, high impact projects that have direct positive impacts and opportunities for our communities.
“We will continue to publish our Annual Sustainability Report, work towards environmental accreditation and progress schemes including the Warm Homes Local Grant scheme to improve the home energy efficiency for those on low incomes.”
The spokesperson added: “The Council’s existing strategies and documents will be updated in line with the new approach with reports also referring to “Environmental Impact” instead of “Climate Impact” to better reflect the broader focus.”
A council insider said: “It seems that they are playing semantics around climate/environmental issues. It looks like we are continuing to aim for previous goals regarding clean energy use but the Reform “gods” are just going to call it environmental rather than climate to save face.”
The Reform move came in the same week that Reform-led Durham County Council repealed its declaration of a ‘climate emergency’ and scrapped its net zero targets, in a motion put forward by council deputy leader Darren Grimes, the former GB News host and Brexit campaigner.
Reform’s two mayors have already been accused of hypocrisy for decrying net zero and climate adaptation policies – while taking substantial Government grants for their areas for green energy projects.
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While most the rest of the media seems to happy to give the handful of Reform MPs undue prominence, Byline Times is committed to tracking the activities of Nigel Farage’s party when actually in power
Contribute to our #ReformUncovered crowdfunderWith thanks to our readers as ever for story tips. Do you live in a Reform-run council area? Get in touch in confidence on josiah@bylinetimes.com
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