BARNSLEY Council leader William Brown believes the town should withdraw its ‘climate emergency’ declaration and a full review of spending in the area is currently being carried out.
In 2019, the council pledged to act faster in response to the changing climate by introducing targets to rapidly reduce council emissions by 2040.
Through partnership working, the council unveiled plans to support the rest of the borough to do the same by 2045.
Coun Brown told the Chronicle this week that a full spending review is set to be carried out in relation to net zero.
He said: “In short, I believe we should withdraw the climate emergency declaration.
“That said, this is not about abandoning practical action where it benefits Barnsley.
“We are currently carrying out a full review of spending in this area to ensure taxpayers’ money is being used wisely and delivering real, measurable outcomes for residents.
“However, I want to be clear, where we can secure external funding to reduce energy bills, improve insulation in housing, lower running costs across council buildings, or support local businesses through grants and advice, we will continue to back that work.
“That is a common sense approach that helps with the cost of living, strengthens our economy and reduces pressures on public finances.
“Following discussions with officers, we have already taken steps to re-focus this agenda by renaming the team from ‘Climate Change and Sustainability’ to ‘Infrastructure and Energy Security’.
“That better reflects our priorities, resilience, affordability and delivering for residents.
“The current government has, for too long, prioritised costly net zero policies while families and businesses have struggled with rising energy costs.
“Our approach is different.
“We will put Barnsley residents first, support local businesses and focus on practical policies that keep more money in people’s pockets.
“We will provide further details once the review is complete.”
Coun Brown’s first interview with the media can be found on page nine.
