Council’s climate costs questioned

Twm Owen – Local democracy reporter
Financial savings as a result of energy reduction plans have benefitted schools and community groups, a council has claimed.
Among cash savings outlined by the councillor responsible for sustainability in Torfaen, Sue Morgan, are solar panels installed at 15 schools and adaptations to council buildings such as the installation of heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points.
Funding from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund has also been provided to help 28 community centres and sports clubs install carbon reduction technology, with the funding continuing in the 2025/26 financial year.
The Labour cabinet member said the council also put £180,000 into its project Appolo energy reduction plan, in March 2023, which in 2023/24 achieved savings of £374,000 meaning the investment was paid back in six months.
Pressures
The 15 solar panels on schools was funded with a £1 million interest free loan and Cllr Morgan said the panels weren’t in operation for all of the 2023/24 financial year while figures for the 2024/25 financial year are still awaited from the energy companies.
But Cllr Morgan said the loan was estimated on saving £237,742 each year with typically 75 per cent used to pay back the loan and the balance able to relieve school budget pressures.
Torfaen Borough Council secured more than £2.3m in 2024/25 for energy improvements such as heat pumps.
Reform UK councillor David Thomas had asked, at April’s council meeting, what “tangible amount” was spent to achieve the £374,000 saving Cllr Morgan had described as “tangible” in response to him at the March meeting.
Cllr Morgan, who represents Pontnewydd, told the Llantarnam councillor: “Asking for a total cost benefit analysis on tackling the climate and nature emergency is, I’m afraid, a little like asking a parent how much they spend on securing their children have a healthy and secure future and how much value they place on that.”
Cllr Thomas said he hadn’t received a “tangible” response to his March question on how much the council had spent in response to it declaring, in June 2019, a climate and nature emergency. He also asked for evidence of the council’s claim the spending had benefited families.
Declaration
Cllr Morgan said there were no available figures to show the benefit of the council’s support for foodbanks and foodshare programmes but said food poverty charity The Trussel Trust’s website could provide an “illustration of the scale”.
She also said since the declaration the councill has reduced its C02 emissions by 39 per cent and figures for 2024/25 will shortly be reported to the Welsh Government and said by voting to make the declaration, in 2019, Cllr Thomas had “confirmed” his support.
Cllr Thomas said he still hadn’t been provided with total amount spent and said: “I’m just looking for a specific amount of money spent on the climate change emergency this council has declared. I’m not really looking for all the other fancy bits around it.”
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Reform again.
Waste of space.
See the US for the mess they will unleash should they get power.
Congratulations to Reform Councillor David Thomas on his narrow focus, not to say simplistic approach to climate change, in response to Torfaen Council’s otherwise admirable efforts to decarbonise our energy supply. This is no doubt typical of what we can anticipate from Reform. Shallow analysis, denial of the facts of climate change, pursuit of the fallacies of sub-system optimisation…just not seeing the wood for the trees. Trump would be proud. Perhaps Cllr Thomas could consistently adopt flat-earth policies personally. How about incorporating a long scenic diversion into all his travels by motor vehicle (petrol, oil or electric) to demonstrate how… Read more »
Torfaen increased council tax by 5% this year and 5% last year, in order to give money to foodbanks. Like several other Councils, they are taking increasing amounts of money from Council Tax payers and then giving it away. If the people of Torfaen wish to support a foodbank or any other charity, they can easily do so, but the Council has no right to decide which charities should be supported with somebody else’s money.