Durham’s Reform councillors appeared sceptical about the benefits of renewable energy technologies…
Reform councillors at Durham County Council have been questioned by opposition councillors over their stance on net zero targets and carbon emissions.
The day after the local elections, Nigel Farage made a speech to Durham County Council stating that anyone working on climate change or diversity initiatives should be “seeking alternative careers”.
Since taking control of the council, Reform has renamed several key departments to remove references to climate change and diversity and inclusion.
During Durham County Council’s cabinet meeting yesterday, Lib Dem councillor Mark Wilkes asked if Reform councillors will continue to pursue the previous administration’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions and achieving net zero.
Wilkes noted the “amazing, positive benefits” that the council’s low carbon team has achieved.
He added that the team “has generated huge savings for the council and helped to secure millions of pounds of grant funding.”
Reform’s Karen Allison, who is now portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and environment, said that the right-wing party was elected on a mandate to “review net zero and identify efficiencies and savings”.
Allison said Reform is “currently reviewing the claims of carbon reduction”. She used net zero critical language, stating Reform will consider the environmental impact of renewable energies from mining production, transportation and end of life disposal, which she claimed “often gets overlooked”.
She claimed that with this information “we will then have an accurate picture of the true measure of the success so we can make an informed decision”.
The Reform councillor said that the council is also “analysing the consumption and the impact of energy costs of home working”. Home working is, of course, another area that Farage is keen to go to war on, like Donald Trump in the US.
Reform won 63 out of the 98 seats up for grabs in the Durham local elections on 1 May.
Last year, Durham County Council won a climate change award for its carbon reduction efforts after switching its council buildings to renewable energy.
The council has cut its annual carbon footprint by 50,000 tonnes over 15 years.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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