Tories urge Lib Dems to cool down in row over 'climate emergency' action
CONSERVATIVES were accused by Liberal Democrats of pushing climate change action “into the undergrowth” at the first New Forest District Council meeting since the local elections.
Cllr Barry Rickman’s administration, which voters returned to power earlier this month, was urged to declare a “climate emergency” by Lib Dem Cllr Malcolm Wade, with a set of ambitious local environmental measures.
However, his motion was instead passed without debate for more detailed consideration by the council’s environment overview and scrutiny panel.
Cllr Wade complained afterwards: “The accepted view amongst scientists and experts is that we are now at a critical stage of damaging our home and planet, and that everything that can be done, must be done.
“Are our New Forest Conservative councillors truly so disinterested in this vital subject for our residents that they want to push it into the undergrowth of a committee without a full and open debate at the outset?”
Tory Cllr Fran Carpenter defended the procedure on Twitter afterwards, saying the matter needed more time to be thought through properly.
She said: “This is general procedure for motions which are long and complex. It will be dealt with properly and in depth. And other groups interested in the issue will then get the chance to put their views also. Then it will no doubt come back to full council.
“Yes, it is important. But deciding whether to declare a ‘climate emergency’ requires a bit more thought and planning than a 10-minute discussion at the end of a full agenda annual council meeting.”
The motion included setting a target for the New Forest district to be carbon neutral by 2030, including both production and consumption emissions, and work with regional partners to actively lobby the government to provide resources to achieve the goal.
It would also require NFDC officers to set out actions within six months to address the “emergency” and take a lead in Hampshire by producing a countywide plan to measure progress towards the carbon aim.
