Durham County Council has become the first local authority in the UK to rescind its climate emergency declaration, in a move condemned as 'a very dark day' by opposition councillors. The Reform-led council, which gained an overwhelming majority in May's local elections, voted to replace the 2019 declaration with a 'County Durham care emergency'.
Liberal Democrat councillor Mark Wilkes described the decision as 'cynical and insulting', arguing that the council's climate action had saved over £13 million in the past year alone. He warned that abandoning climate work risked losing external funding and ultimately reducing investment in social care. 'This is not an either-or,' he said.
Reform council leader Andrew Husband defended the move, stating the authority was now 'driven by data and common sense'. He cited Roman vineyards along Hadrian's Wall as evidence of historical climate variation. Another Reform councillor, Kenny Hope, accused the Liberal Democrats of supporting child labour by advocating for lithium batteries and solar panels.
Deputy council leader Darren Grimes, who proposed the motion, accused opponents of wanting residents 'colder and poorer', and dismissed the 2019 declaration as 'expensive virtue-signalling tripe'. He said Durham was done chasing 'net-zero rainbows while the likes of China belch out coal more than Sauron’s Mordor'.
Green councillor Jonathan Elmer called the debate 'bonkers' and said the vote represented 'a very dark day'. He noted that 80% of the population believe in the climate emergency. About 200 protesters gathered outside county hall, with banners reading 'Reform is asking you bury your head in the sand'.
Separately, West Northamptonshire Council, also Reform-led, became the first to abolish its net zero targets, removing goals for operational emissions by 2030 and wider emissions by 2045.
