Sharp divisions have emerged at Warwickshire County Council on how the Council should respond to Climate change.
The Green Party and Liberal Democrats put forward joint proposals to strengthen the Council’s action in areas such as transport, buildings and pension investments.
However, a series of Conservative speakers argued that the plans were irrelevant or that the Council was already taking sufficient action.
Councillor Will Roberts who proposed the plans said:
“I found the ruling Conservatives’ complacency and defeatism staggering. One Conservative said ‘what more can we do? Warwickshire is already green and clean.’ The Conservative portfolio holder said that ‘this motion is premature’. And the Conservative’s Finance cabinet member (equivalent of the Chancellor of the Exchequer) stood up and said that the evidence for climate change is ‘not really there’.
The picture is clear: The fire alarm is sounding, but the Conservatives are too busy trying to simultaneously stick their fingers in their ears whilst patting themselves on the back to be able to steer the ship and protect Warwickshire for future generations.
We can successfully prepare for the extreme weather like the increased flooding we face and minimise climate change, but we’re going to need some leadership and it ain’t coming from the Conservatives at the moment.”
The proposals were voted down when every member of the Conservative Councillor majority voted against them. Green, Lib Dem and Labour Councillors supported the proposals.
The proposals read:
The latest IPCC report (August 21) was loud & clear. The Climate Emergency is not something we will face in the future but is happening right now. Warwickshire County Council supports the UN sustainability goals as part of its corporate priorities and the County Council also declared a climate emergency in 2019 and we note the good work that has been taking place regarding Climate Change so far. As with any emergency we must now accelerate adapt and change our plans as needed to reduce our carbon footprint.
Therefore, this Council will take the following steps to strengthen its own climate action plan:
- Develop for consideration a fully costed plan which is based on:
- Bringing forward our commitment to become a climate neutral Council from 2030 to 2025 and our aim for the whole of Warwickshire from 2050 to 2033 and setting an indicative carbon budget for Warwickshire through to 2100.
- Creating a dedicated 'Carbon Management Team' to implement and manage the Council's climate goals from April 2022.
- Building all new WCC buildings, schools and any buildings built with aid of Warwickshire County Council funding to carbon neutral and fabric-first standards, including the creation of a specialist team to manage the Council's retrofit schemes across the County.
- Ensure all new procurement and grants require a plan to be incorporated into the award documentation with the expectation that all partner organisations will be carbon net zero by 2030.
- By 2025 over two thirds of the Council’s new transport capital investment is in walking, cycling routes, rail schemes, electric buses and charging rather than building new roads for vehicles causing more dangerous air pollution
- Warwickshire County Council should use its unique position to bring forward strategic proposals on further developing the direction of Warwickshire’s economy. For example, this could include greater investment towards green skills as indicated in the latest growth hub report. With the increase in electric vehicles and the greater reliance and use of batteries, we as a county should also seek to work with innovators and lead in developing the recycling actions that will be needed to make Warwickshire a circular economy
- Ask the Leader of the Council to write to the Chair of the Warwickshire Pension Fund Investment Sub Committee requesting it consider divesting from all companies involved in the extraction of fossil fuels, that do not plan to transition to being non-carbon energy companies
- Establishes a framework by which all full Council and Cabinet decisions made by Warwickshire County Council are checked against its climate emergency goals.
Proposer: Councillor Will Roberts
Seconder: Councillor Jerry Roodhouse
