'Too much time virtue signalling': Council undeclares climate change and biodiversity emergencies
Council leader warns too much time is spent on ‘virtue signalling’ and not enough on ‘improving residents’ lives’
Wakefield Council has voted to undeclare its climate change and biodiversity declarations.
The move comes after Reform UK pledged to overturn both commitments soon after taking control of the local authority last month.
Elected members of the party unanimously voted in favour a motion put forward by the council’s new leader Karl Johnson.
Under Labour, the council declared a climate emergency in 2019 and pledged to become a carbon neutral authority by 2030.
A biodiversity emergency was then declared by councillors in 2021.
Coun Johnson described the declarations as “examples of how this council worked in the past.”
He told a full council meeting : “Too much time spent on virtue signalling and gesture politics, not enough time on improving residents’ lives.
“This now comes to an end.
“Going forward we are going to dedicate all our energy, resources and leadership towards making a genuine difference for our communities.”
Coun Johnson said the motion was “not about denying climate or the science.”
He added: “We accept that our climate is changing and significant international effort will be required to respond to that.
“This is about moving forward in a more realistic, grounded and impactful way. Every penny spent on net zero takes away everything from our residents.
“With council tax set this year at another 4.99 per cent we need to put our residents first.”
“We’ve got roads, potholes, housing – we could name countless.”
Green Party councillor Kate Dodd opposed the motion, which she described as a “classic example of gesture politics.”
She said: “This is no joke. This is serious. To suggest that this is not an emergency, to suggest that it’s not something that urgently needs to be tackled is frankly irresponsible.”
Backing the motion, Reform councillor Keith Anderson: “We need to change the way we behave, but we don’t need slogans to do it.
“The one thing I love about Yorkshire is that Yorkshire people say it as it is.
“We need to do stuff for our community and that’s what we are going to do.
“We don’t need some nice fancy slogan to hang it on.”
Labour councillor Mohammed Ayub said: “I class myself as a Yorkshireman and I’m going to be saying it as it is as well. I will be opposing the motion.
“I’ve yet to see any evidence of what financial savings this proposal will deliver.”