Reform-Led Durham Council Scraps Climate Emergency Declaration

Durham County Council, now led by a Reform UK majority since May 2025, voted to rescind its 2019 climate emergency declaration, becoming the first UK council to do so, and instead declared a social care emergency focused on children's services. The decision, spearheaded by Deputy Leader Darren Grimes, who criticized the previous council's climate policies as "expensive virtue-signalling tripe," has been met with strong opposition from Liberal Democrat councillors and campaigners who argue that the council's climate action saved over £13 million last year and helped secure external funding. Critics, including former climate lead Mark Wilkes, described the motion as "morally reprehensible" and "economically illiterate," warning it risks undoing years of progress including a national award Durham received for carbon reduction. The Reform council defended the shift as driven by data and common sense, with allegations during the debate about ethical concerns over child labor in the production of green technology components. This move coincides with wider concerns about climate change impacts, highlighted by the Met Office’s recent climate report, even as other Reform-led councils, such as West Northamptonshire, are expected to scrap similar climate pledges. The decision has sparked protests outside County Hall, emphasizing the tension between addressing climate change and urgent social care needs.