Council undeclares climate change and biodiversity emergencies

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.

Reform took control of the council from Labour by winning 58 out of 63 seats at the local elections in May.

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 on Wednesday (June 17): “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% we need to put our residents first.”

“We’ve got roads, potholes, housing – we could name countless.”

Coun Johnson added: “If we don’t focus on practical delivery, we make decisions that are detached from the real, lived experience of our residents.

“One thing that came up time and time again on the doorstep during the election was value for money.

“Local taxpayers want us to use public reserves wisely.

“Our success is not measured by the language we use, but the outcomes we achieve.”

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.”

Coun Dodd said Coun Johnson, a former Conservative Party member, had previously voted in favour of the climate emergency declaration.

Conservative councillor Nadeem Ahmed said he also opposed the motion as he had voted in favour of the declaration in 2019.

He said: “I’m not going to come across as a hypocrite.

“If I’m being honest, it was gesture politics when it was introduced and removing it is also gesture politics as well.”

Coun Ahmed added: “I believe there is a climate issue in the world, but it’s not going to get resolved by Wakefield Council.”

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.

“We are going to do it because it’s the right thing to do, at the right time, and at the right cost.”

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.”

Members of environmental group Just Transition Wakefield gathered outside County Hall ahead of the meeting.

Group chair Stuart Boothman previously said revoking the declarations would put the council at risk of losing out on government funding for carbon reduction projects.

He said: “We are really disappointed in the council taking this action. It is clear that the emergency has got worse. It hasn’t gone away.”