Doncaster Council votes to scrap declaration of 'climate emergency'
Reform UK and Conservative councillors were behind a motion to scrap the declaration
The City of Doncaster Council has rescinded a climate emergency declared in 2019, following a motion from opposition councillors.
Councillor Cynthia Ransome’s motion called the 2019 declaration a “political and policy statement” and that rescinding it would have no effect on the “council’s statutory environmental responsibilities”.
Coun Ransome told the chamber: “The Council adopted voluntary ambitions to reduce borough-wide carbon emissions by 85 per cent by 2030, against a 2005 baseline, and to achieve net zero emissions by 2040.
“The Council’s own monitoring has concluded that, at the present rate of emissions reduction, neither the 2030 target nor the 2040 ambition is likely to be achieved.
“Environmental policies should be affordable, deliverable, transparent and balanced against the Council’s responsibilities for public services, economic regeneration, employment, housing and the protection of vulnerable residents.”
The climate emergency was rescinded by a majority vote in the chamber, but not before the Labour Party’s Coun Rob Dennis proposed an amendment which committed to a review of the declaration rather than rescission.
Coun Dennis’ amendment was backed by his Labour Party colleagues, including Mayor Ros Jones and her cabinet.
The Labour administration’s defence of the climate emergency prompted accusations of hypocrisy, with Reform UK’s Coun Rachel Reed saying: “This is the same administration talking about climate change that’s trying to reopen an airport.”
However, whilst most Reform UK and Conservative councillors voted down the Labour amendment in favour of immediate rescission, Coun Isaiah-John Smith-Reasbeck, the Reform UK councillors for Bentley ward, broke from party consensus.
He said: “Sea levels are rising, heatwaves are becoming longer, hotter and more frequent, food shortages are becoming more numerous and water security is getting worse.
“We should be leading the way on climate change, not pushing it to one side, but setting an example. These are not issues for the future, these are issues now. This is an emergency.”
He told the chamber he would be supporting the amendment, as he did not believe climate issues should be “attacked at any cost to the Doncaster taxpayer” and that the amendment offered the chance of a review.
When the amendment was voted down, Coun Reasbeck spoke again, urging his colleagues to vote down Coun Ransome’s original motion, though his efforts were in vain as an overwhelming majority passed the vote.
It means Doncaster Council no longer believes there is a “climate emergency”, however, it did not rescind the “biodiversity emergency” part of its 2019 declaration.
The rescission makes clear that the authority remains committed to its statutory climate obligations.