Motion could see Staffordshire County Council ditch climate emergency declaration

A CLIMATE emergency declaration at Staffordshire County Council could be ditched after six years.

The authority took the step in 2019 as part of efforts to tackle climate change.

But now the new Reform UK administration will be asked to remove the declaration in a bid to avoid any “distraction” to wider efforts to enhance the economy, education and provide value for money.

A motion from Cllr Andrew Mynors said:

“Council resolves to rescind the Climate Emergency Declaration made in July 2019.

“Rather than chasing long-term targets we will focus on protecting and enhancing our environment and the impacts we can have now, particularly if they can deliver value for money for our communities, businesses and the County Council.

“Cabinet will produce a new Environmental Strategy, and supporting action plan, for Staffordshire.”

A rationale supporting the motion to the meeting of the county council on Thursday (9th October) says:

“The rhetoric around decarbonisation of the public estate and the pursuit of net zero has acted as a distraction of county council activities and taken focus away from core priorities around the economy, education, supporting our vulnerable citizens and achieving value for money across all our activities.

“The county council does not need a climate emergency and long-term net zero targets to fulfil our environmental responsibilities and reduce our own impact on the environment. I therefore ask full council to rescind this declaration and instead support our new environmental vision for the county of Staffordshire.

“We acknowledge that the county is experiencing extremes in weather conditions and that this change impacts both the services that we deliver and the communities that we serve. As custodians of large parts of the natural and the built environment we will work in partnership with others throughout the County to ensure that we consider these impacts and drive meaningful change.”