Farage urges Reform councils to ditch ‘virtue-signalling’ net zero targets

Nigel Farage has pressured Reform-led councils to scrap “virtue-signalling” climate emergency targets amid concerns they are “massive diversions of time”.

Eight in 10 local authorities across Britain declared so-called climate emergencies between May 2019 and 2023, with many racing to beat each other into announcing their green-focused pledges.

The floodgates were opened six years ago after the House of Commons agreed on a motion tabled by Jeremy Corbyn for Parliament to declare an emergency.

Local authorities vowed to follow suit by devoting millions of pounds to decarbonise offices, waste collection trucks and all council-run services.

Rather than opt for a 2050 deadline – as agreed by Parliament – the majority of councils pledged a more ambitious 2030 target.

Mr Farage, whose party gained control of 10 county councils two months ago, told The Telegraph the net zero pledges need to be ditched.

He said: “They need to be scrapped. It’s not the job of county councils to deal with global issues, and it wouldn’t make any difference at all if they were scrapped.

“It costs money and they are a massive diversion of time. It’s virtue-signalling.”

Mr Farage’s comments come after he said in May that staff working on climate change initiatives should be “seeking alternative careers”.

Of the 10 councils Reform gained control, the party inherited seven climate emergency policies.

Kent County Council last week became the first Reform-led authority to announce cost-savings plans of £40m by cutting net zero spending. It declared a climate emergency in 2019.

In a move described as “reckless” by critics, Lincolnshire County Council scrapped its flood management scrutiny committee in May, while Derbyshire County Council axed its climate change committee and cancelled all climate-related meetings.

‘We have no idea how much it all costs’

Since committing to their climate emergencies, various councils across the UK have been accused of ploughing millions into eco targets at the expense of cutting key services.

For example, cash-strapped Lambeth council – which has dimmed streetlights to save money – spent £25m on climate initiatives such as “rain gardens” and low-traffic neighbourhoods between 2019 and 2024.

An investigation by The Times last year found the Labour-run south London authority paid more than 40 staff members at least £100,000 a year, including a “director of climate and inclusive growth” on £160,000.

Pembrokeshire County Council, which vowed in 2019 to become net zero by 2030, is poised to launch a review into its climate emergency after councillors raised concerns over its cost and deliverability.

Cllr Mike Stoddart, who previously branded the emergency “virtue signalling on stilts”, successfully tabled a motion last month to start a review.

He said: “We have no idea how much it all costs and there has been no accountability for years. The UK is responsible for just under 1pc of global CO2 emissions, and Pembrokeshire’s population of 120,000 is roughly one five hundredth of that of the UK.

“If the council ceased to exist, it would make no difference whatsoever to the Earth’s climate.”

A meeting of Pembrokeshire’s full council – which is coalition-led – will decide whether to pursue a review at a meeting this month.

Council papers show that it does “not currently have an assessment” of the costs of its climate emergency, despite previously pledging to publish bi-annual reviews.

Elsewhere, in Merseyside, Sefton Council, which has reduced emissions by 43pc since 2019, said it is “clear that a substantial amount of investment will be required” to reach net zero by 2030.

External funding is needed, but a progress report goes on to state that the council “must carefully evaluate its position in the coming years”.

Councils taking ‘minimum action’

Having announced climate emergencies, some councils have taken the most “minimum action possible”, according to watchdog group, Climate Emergency UK.

Damning findings show that only a quarter of councils have turned at least 10pc of their vehicle fleet electric since pledging to decarbonise.

Isaac Beevor, of Climate Emergency UK, said some councils are “driving forward local climate action”, yet others are falling short.

He said: “There are councils which continue to lag behind, taking the minimum action possible.”

Having ranked every local authority’s performance, the watchdog concluded progress across the UK is “slow”, with hundreds of councils not on track to meet their own self-declared net zero targets.

Climate Emergency UK scored councils across seven categories of performance, ranking them on a score from 0 to 100.

Just 62 of the 391 councils assessed scored higher than half marks. Rutland came bottom of the pile for county councils, while Castle Point (Essex) ranked last for district authorities.

At the other end of the scale, Islington council topped the overall chart.

Mr Beevor said: “We are calling for climate action to be a fully funded legal duty for all UK councils, as we need all councils to be creating the zero-emission communities we need to thrive.”

Two-thirds of councils were not confident of meeting their targets, according to a survey published by the Local Government Association (LGA) last year.

Adam Hug, a spokesman for the LGA, said: “The Government will not meet its net zero goals without empowering councils to deliver local climate action in every village, town and city.

“With the right support, local areas could cut carbon quicker and for less money, while boosting the local economy and ensuring local people benefit.”