Reform council vows to call off climate emergency

The Reform UK administration at Suffolk County Council has said it plans to axe the authority’s climate emergency declaration and will review all environmental projects.

The council under Conservative rule declared the emergency in 2019, which meant it would look to reduce its carbon emissions to net zero by 2030.

Leader Michael Hadwen said Reform had “inherited a catalogue of expensive, headline-grabbing environmental schemes” after taking power last month.

Andrew Stringer, leader of the opposition for the Green Party, said the council’s net zero policies had actually saved £4m over the last financial year.

In a statement, the council said it would look to formally reverse the declaration of a climate emergency at the next full council meeting on 16 July.

There would also be a council-wide audit of all environmental schemes across the authority to ensure they “demonstrate clear benefits, practical outcomes, or real savings in order to continue”.

If they do not, the council says they will be stopped and money reinvested elsewhere.

“Our job is simple — spend Suffolk taxpayers’ money wisely and deliver real results for our residents,” said Hadwen.