Council leader defends spending on climate change and decarbonisation initiatives

Twm Owen, Local Democracy Reporter

Spending that has helped community groups cut their energy bills has been defended by a council leader.

Labour’s Anthony Hunt was challenged over spending on climate change and decarbonisation initiatives as well as equality, diversity and inclusion programmes by Reform UK councillor David Thomas who claimed residents have other priorities.

Those included roads and anti-social behaviour, said Cllr Thomas, though Torfaen Borough Council leader Cllr Hunt said it had spent a “record amount” on road repairs and resurfacing this year.

Reform UK group leader Cllr Thomas had asked for spending to be broken down for the past three financial years at the council’s May meeting but Cllr Hunt provided figures for the last financial year which totalled just more than £3 million on the four spending areas identified.

The largest was just over £2m on climate and decarbonisation and Cllr Hunt said local organisations were saving “hundreds or thousands of pounds every month in energy costs” from technology such as solar panels and said: “Much of the funding for this came through grants so we couldn’t just spend it how we want in any case.”

The figure included money from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund which Cllr Hunt said had supported 38 community groups to cut energy use and save £200,000 in annual energy costs. Solar panels, and battery storage, had saved Ponthir Village Hall more than £1,500 in energy bills in just three months, he said.

A day centre for adults with additional needs in Cwmbran is meeting around 84 per cent of its energy demand through solar panels and battery insulation and cut its bills by around £1,000 a month while reducing carbon emissions by around three tones a year and 71 local businesses had also been supported through the programme.

The second largest spend, last year, on the areas questioned by Cllr Thomas, was £855,535 on external consultancy.

“This is from a total (annual) budget of around £396 million or around one quarter of one per cent or less than one day’s expenditure,” said Cllr Hunt who added he was “pleased” spending on consultants had reduced by 46 per cent on the previous year.

But he said consultants provide “vital technical expertise” it could either be “impossible or very expensive” for the council to employ directly and said it can also provide extra capacity at times of peak demand while its federation model with Blaenau Gwent meant both councils can pool expertise.

Equality and diversity

The £3,841 spent on equality and diversity programmes was described, by Cllr Hunt, as a “tiny amount” in the context of its overall budget and is led by staff who have other “substantive roles” and added: “It’s important as a public service provider the council works for all people in our borough to make them all feel safe and included whatever their background.”

The Panteg councillor also said it was “vital” the council communicates with residents and said the £241, 113 spent on communications and branding was less than “one tenth of one per cent of our annual budget.”

In repsonse Cllr Thomas, who represents Llantarnam, asked “does the leader still genuinely believe residents struggling with the rising cost of living feel these spending priorities reflect their day to day concerns or does the administration accept residents believe these basic frontline services no longer receive the priority they need?”

Cllr Hunt, defended the council’s “track record of spending money in the right places” and repeated grant funding for climate change couldn’t be transferred to “other areas you mentioned but we will continue to prioritise spending on those areas.”