Barnsley Council to scrap climate emergency declaration
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- Barnsley Council, led by Reform UK, announced its intention to withdraw its 2019 climate emergency declaration along with its Zero40 and Zero45 net-zero targets, redirecting resources to frontline services
- Council leader William Brown said the focus is on 'practical priorities that matter to residents, rather than ideological targets and costly political posturing,' declaring 'the war on woke is only just beginning'
- A review of all climate and net-zero activity is under way, with programmes lacking clear resident benefit, financial saving, or statutory requirement set to change or stop, and an initial report due by the end of September
- A 2024 council report stated the authority was not 'on track' to reduce its carbon emissions, though practical work such as helping households cut energy bills and improving home energy efficiency will continue
- The UK remains legally bound under the Climate Change Act to reach net zero nationally by 2050, independent of local council declarations
- Other Reform-led councils — including Wakefield, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Sunderland, South Tyneside, and Walsall — have also backed motions to rescind similar climate and biodiversity emergency pledges
Why it matters: Barnsley joins a growing list of Reform-led councils rescinding climate emergency pledges even as the UK government remains legally committed to net zero by 2050 under the Climate Change Act, deepening the gap between local and national climate policy and effectively abandoning the council's own stated 2040 and 2045 targets.
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