Solar on roofs not farms, says Reform UK in North Northamptonshire
The leader of a Reform UK-controlled council said solar panels should be installed on warehouses rather than farmland.Martin Griffiths, who leads North Northamptonshire Council, said putting the panels on good-quality fields was "ridiculous".He has been setting out his priorities for the authority which now has 40 Reform UK councillors after they ousted the Conservatives in May's election.He also thinks climate change targets are "holding our country back".
Griffiths is no stranger to the role of leader, having been at the helm of Conservative-controlled Wellingborough Borough Council before it was abolished in 2021.Having jumped ship from the Tories to Reform UK, he now commands a group with a majority of 12 seats.Talking to the BBC about his priorities, he said an improvement programme waas under way in the council's planning department.He said: "I'm determined that we are going to make some progress in that area. It isn't about nimbyism - it's about wanting the very best for our area."
One planning issue that he said he was "keen to address" was solar panels.He said: "Isn't it interesting that all of these big high-density warehouse developments are coming forward with no solar panels on the roofs?"It's ridiculous when we're putting solar in good-quality farmland."It's something that the developers probably don't want to do because it means that they've got to strengthen roofs, etcetera, but doesn't it make sense?"He added the issue had come up regularly on the doorstep during campaigning.
Despite being a member of a party that is openly sceptical about the causes of climate change, Griffith insists: "I don't deny climate change, but I think our net zero targets are the things that are really holding our country back, so that's what my group are very, very concerned about.The party's much-publicised Doge-style efficiency review is also on the agenda in North Northamptonshire.Griffiths said it "will include the possibility of bringing in party experts" to scrutinise expenditure and systems at the authority.He added: "We're not going to pay a penny [for the Doge review] so that's why our officers are fully in support of this."
Helen Harrison, the leader of the Conservative opposition on the council, said: "We will support them when their proposals are in the interests of the people of North Northamptonshire and will constructively challenge them when we believe they are not."If the new administration continues to prioritise cost-effective services and our policy of prioritising road repairs, we will support it. "We will, of course, look at each proposal on its merits."
Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
39 minutes ago
- Spectator
Poll: majority of Brits think small boats unstoppable
Summer is here! And you know what gorgeous weather means: more small boats crossing the Channel. Get ready for the great Starmada in the coming weeks, as thousands more migrants prepare to sail the 21 miles from Calais to Dover. The current crisis has been going on since 2018, when Sajid Javid – the-then Home Secretary – felt the need to cut short his holiday after 100 migrants crossed in a 24-hour period. Those were the days… Now Mr S has got some polling and it seems that the public are accepting these crossings as inevitable. A survey done by Merlin Strategy of 2,000 UK adults between 17 and 18 June shows that 51 per cent of Brits think that the government will never be able to stop the boats – including 7 in 10 Reform 2024 voters. Some two thirds (66 per cent) say the Starmer government does not have control over Britain's borders while the same figure (67 per cent) believe, correctly, that the number of Channel crossings has increased this year – compared to just seven per cent who think they have dropped. Unsurpisingly, therefore, seven in ten say the government must do whatever it takes to stop the boats. That UK-France summit cannot come soon enough…
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Staff at a Dorset school strike over restructuring plans for two schools
Staff at a state school are taking industrial action in protest at restructuring Sherborne Area Schools' Trust (SAST) said Shaftesbury School and Sturminster Newton High in Dorset had been facing a budget deficit of £1m between them so it was "looking to share some leadership roles across the two schools to reduce overheads".On 17 June, Shaftesbury School staff who are members of the National Education Union (NEU) walked out over the restructure, which the NEU said would "take teaching resource away from the front line."SAST said it continued to engage "in constructive dialogue with union colleagues". Jon Timbrell, who represents the NEU in the South West, said the restructure is "stripping half of the heads of curriculum out of the schools" and "prioritising retaining a large layer of executive management".He said a lot of the changes the trust had proposed "have been really unpopular within the community" and the turnout on Tuesday "was huge", with sixth formers, parents and other residents coming to show support."In negotiations with the trust, we raised the fact that the financial picture has changed quite significantly," Mr Timbrell added, referring to the 4% pay rise for teachers announced by the government and the investment in education proposed in the spending said the union was calling on the trust "to look again at the figures in light of that as well."More strikes are planned for next Tuesday and Wednesday. SAST said the plans were "designed to ensure long-term financial sustainability".It said similar issues were being faced "by many rural secondary schools, who are having to decide whether their sixth forms are sustainable".It had also commissioned an independent report in conjunction with the Department for Education, which looked at ways to reduce costs "whilst maintaining educational provision". The schools already share an executive headteacher and operate in a joint sixth form."We believe that sixth forms should remain in our local communities, and we are therefore looking to share some leadership roles across the two schools to reduce overheads whilst encouraging collaboration between them," the trust added there had been "a full consultation involving staff and union representatives"."We have listened throughout and made considered adjustments in response to genuine feedback, while keeping our focus on what matters most — the experience and outcomes of our students." You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Cleveland Police confirms new chief constable as Victoria Fuller
A deputy chief constable will step up to the top job after her nomination was unanimously Fuller had been named as the preferred candidate to replace Cleveland Police Chief Constable Mark Webster when he retires next area's police and crime panel, which is made up of elected and independent members, had the power to ratify or veto the Police and Crime Commissioner's proposed candidate, but said it was impressed with her "vision for the force".Mrs Fuller joined the force in May 2022, having started her career at Durham Police in 1999, where she served for 23 years. Chair of the all-party panel councillor Tony Riordan said she had been enthusiastic about continually improving the force during her hearing."We felt she impressed us all with her wealth of operational knowledge, her vision for the force and her passion for providing the people of Cleveland with a first-class police service," he chief constable Mr Webster had been appointed in 2022, and helped lift the troubled force out of special force had been described as "clueless" and was found to be putting the public at risk, before eventually being assessed to have made "significant" improvements by and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey said: "She brings stability to Cleveland Police at a time when it is more important than ever to maintain the outstanding progress highlighted during the force's last inspection."Mrs Fuller is expected to take up her post in July when Mr Webster retires. Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
