Durham Reform UK councillors reviewing net zero commitments
Durham's Reform UK councillors are reviewing current council net zero policies before making any decisions about their approach.During election campaigning, the party told voters it would scrap net zero and energy levies to save households hundreds of pounds per year.An opposition councillor asked the new administration at a recent meeting whether it would continue the previously agreed council ambition to reduce its carbon footprint.Reform's Karen Allison said efficiencies and savings had been identified and it was also requesting the council "consider the creation of mining production, transportation, and disposal at end of life of renewable technologies".
Mark Wilkes, former climate change cabinet member and Liberal Democrat councillor, praised the work of the local authority's low carbon team.He said: "Can cabinet confirm that it is committed to continuing the amazing work of the low carbon team in cutting emissions and improving the environment across County Durham and saving millions of pounds for this council, and indeed doing so much more?"Allison, portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and environment, explained the new administration wished to make an informed decision so it had "an accurate picture" of how successful the work had been."We are currently reviewing the claims of carbon reduction within County Durham, while requesting council consider the creation of mining production, transportation, and disposal at end of life of renewable technologies," she said.She said the party was hoping to announce a decision soon, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS)."We take the environment seriously and are already discussing projects that include forestation, protecting wildlife, and biodiversity, and also how renewable energy technology may impact our local environment, which often gets overlooked," she added.Net zero means no longer adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.Last year, the council - which was ran by a coalition - won an environmental award after cutting its annual carbon footprint by 50,000 tonnes over 15 years.
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