Reform UK criticised over climate stance by local cabinet members

Twm Owen, Local Democracy Reporter 

Reform UK has come under fire on climate change from cabinet members in the only local authority where the party holds representation. 

Reform, which polls show could pose a major threat to Welsh Labour’s dominance of the Senedd at next May’s election, has a four strong group on Torfaen Borough Council.

When the ruling Labour cabinet discussed a report measuring how it has performed against targets, such as reducing energy use, in its plan to tackle climate change and address threats to the natural environment senior councillors appeared to take aim at Reform. 

Cabinet member, and Pontnewydd councillor, Sue Morgan who is responsible for sustainability said “some members” of the council claim there are greater threats than climate change but said “this Labour administration knows better.” 

Council leader Anthony Hunt said the council is committed to action due the threat posed rather than it being “some ultra woke council.” 

Cabinet member David Daniels, who also represents Pontnewydd in Cwmbran, went further saying he would “call out” Reform, as he claimed they don’t want to continue with work addressing climate change.

In response, Cllr David Thomas, who leads the Reform group on Torfaen council, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the party “respects” the council’s ongoing work on environmental issues but said: “We reject unscientific alarmism and policies that harm the economy.” 

A report for the cabinet highlighted the council is on course to achieve 81 per cent of the actions it said it would take in its five-year climate and nature emergency action plan agreed by the cabinet in February 2022. 

The plan shows, against a baseline year of 2019, the council has reduced emissions from its buildings, vehicles and street lighting and produced financial savings through lower utility bills.  

Cllr Morgan said Storm Claudia, which badly impacted neighbouring Monmouthshire, demonstrated the real threat to “our beautiful valley and wellbeing of our families.”

She said: “That should leave us in no doubt, if we ever were, this is no time to put our heads in the sand or fingers in our ears.

“Some members of this council may want to convince us the threats come from other directions or might want to divert us to issues of traffic management or pseudo patriotic gestures but this Labour administration knows better.”

Addressing the financial impact Cllr Morgan said it would be “worth paying” even if it cost the council but said it is saving money and bringing in funds: “The report clearly shows our work to tackle these twin emergencies is bringing in considerable external funding and lower running costs for the council, community organisations and buildings and that is freeing money for teachers, community support and a thousand other things.”

Earlier this year Cllr Morgan was repeatedly pressed, at full council meetings, by Cllr Thomas to explain savings attributed to tackling climate change.

At this week’s cabinet meeting her ward colleague Cllr Daniels said he took “great heart” from the council’s efforts and stated Cwmbran’s Able Radio, which supports people with learning difficulties and autism, had said it had saved £1,500 a month on energy costs as one of 38 schemes to support sports and community centres, charities and businesses with energy efficiency.

He then attacked Reform who he said wouldn’t continue with such a programme.

Cllr Daniels said: “There are some who don’t want this to continue. Those people are Reform and I’m going to call them out. They’ve made very explicit comments about climate change and net zero that are quite frankly unscientific.”

Earlier this year Reform MP Richard Tice told Sky News there is “no evidence that man-made CO2 is going to change climate change” after setting out plans to impose taxes on the renewable energy sector and scrap the UK’s net zero target, if Reform UK were elected into power.

Council leader Anthony Hunt said: “This is like any inconvenient truth we can either address it or hide from it and bury our heads in the sand and I’m glad we’ve got a clear commitment to not hide and take action that does create jobs and make savings for local groups.

“We’re not tackling this because we are some ultra-woke council but because there is a challenge that affects our communities and we want to address it as it offers benefits to some of those groups.”

Cllr Thomas, who as an opposition councillor isn’t entitled to speak at, or required to attend, cabinet meetings said after the meeting the comments demonstrated Labour is “worried” about Reform.

In response to claims Reform wouldn’t support the council’s climate policies and it has made “unscientific” comments on the subject Cllr Thomas said: “While we respect the council’s ongoing work on environmental issues, Reform UK prioritises practical, affordable solutions over expensive net zero targets that burden taxpayers without delivering real results.

“Our party supports energy security through a mix of sources, including renewables where viable, but we reject unscientific alarmism and policies that harm the economy.

“We take environmental challenges seriously but focus on adaptation and innovation rather than ideological mandates.”