Protesters vow to maintain County Durham climate campaigns

Opposition councillors in County Durham said they will continually scrutinise decisions made by Reform leaders in charge of Durham County Council and expose any failures. 

A motion by Durham County Council’s deputy leader Darren Grimes to rescind the 2019 declaration was approved by Reform councillors on Wednesday. 

The Reform councillor said the local authority was “chasing net zero rainbows” with its 2019 climate emergency pledge and instead vowed to prioritise social care services. 

He added: “We are done with expensive virtue-signalling tripe, and we care instead about our residents. We need to protect our communities. We need to put children over carbon.”

Councillor Mark Wilkes, speaking to campaigners outside Durham County Hall. (Image: The Northern Echo)

Opposition to the plea, led by Mark Wilkes, shadow cabinet member for Neighbourhoods and Environment, failed to receive substantial support. Speaking after the meeting, the Liberal Democrat councillor said: “We will continue to hold Reform’s feet to the fire. We have no choice. 

“We have put in place a huge raft of projects to help tackle climate change, and we will be making sure each and every one of those is seen through to completion. 

“Where Reform tries to stop this work, we will make sure they are outed for their failures.”

An alternative ‘County Durham Care Emergency’ pledge was voted through, which Reform said will help recognise the “critical and escalating crisis” in children’s social care, including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. 

But those voting to keep the council’s climate pledge criticised Reform’s decision to link the ongoing financial problems facing social care to the climate emergency. 

Fiona Dyer, of local campaign group Climate Action Durham. (Image: The Northern Echo)

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Councillor Jonathan Elmer, Green member for Brandon ward, said: “This was a strategy to make people like me look like we don’t care about children. In reality, we do because we’re trying to stop climate change.”

On the importance of keeping the council’s climate pledge, he added: “It’s so vital to our economy. If you signal that you don’t care about the climate, then you are putting that at a disadvantage. 

“It’s really negative and tragic to be tacking 180 degrees from that vital priority.”