'Moving away from gesture politics': Councillors set to reject climate change and emergency declarations
Council leader says its a commitment to ‘moving away from gesture politics’
Reform UK councillors look set to overturn climate change and biodiversity emergency declarations previously made by a West Yorkshire local authority.
Wakefield Council’s leader new Karl Johnson said the move was part of his administration’s commitment to “moving away from gesture politics.”
Last month, Coun Johnson announced plans to revoke both declarations days after Reform took control of the council from Labour by winning 58 out of 63 seats at the local elections.
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.
Reform members are expected to vote in favour of a motion put forward by Coun Johnson calling on the declarations to be overturned.
The motion, to be debated at a full council meeting on June 17, states: “The leader of the council committed to moving away from gesture politics and towards focusing on delivering practical things that make the lives of our residents easier.
“Undeclaring both the climate and biodiversity emergencies in Wakefield are part of that commitment.
“This is not a withdrawal from action on the environment.
“It is a recognition that the language of ’emergency’ does not deliver better outcomes for our residents.
“We should focus on tangible action within our control that improves everyday life and focus our limited resources where they are most needed.”
Coun Johnson said the authority continued to have a “meaningful role to play” in improving energy efficiency, supporting residents with the cost of living and focussing on “community resilience.”
He added: “These are areas where we can make a real difference. The council has very limited influence on delivering national net zero targets or climate strategies.
“Many of the key levers – including energy policy, transport infrastructure, and building standards – are the responsibility of central, and in some cases, international government.
“It is therefore not realistic to expect local councils to deliver meaningful change in this area.
“This council remains committed to playing our part in addressing environmental challenges in a way that is proportionate, deliverable, and focused on local benefit.
“We do not require a climate or biodiversity emergency declaration to do that.”
The motion also calls for a review of council resources “to make sure investment is targeted on practical interventions.”
In 2023, Wakefield Council joined an ‘A list’ of authorities across the world leading the way on climate change action when it was given a top rating by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP).
The global non-profit organisation runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions.
The rating placed the district among the top 13 per cent of authorities globally.
At the time, just three other council’s in Yorkshire – Leeds, Kirklees and York – were awarded an A rating.