Just Transition Wakefield has heard clearly the message and the reported detail from the new Council Leader’s speech at the Mayor Making Ceremony.
Minutes have not yet been published from the meeting, but we understand that the new Reform council hopes to
- Rescind the climate emergency declaration from 2019, passed unanimously, including by several current Reform Councillors, previously Conservatives;
- Reduce investment on net zero policies and projects.
This announcement is very much at odds with the UK Climate Change Committee’s report “A Well-Adapted UK”, published on the same day.
The Climate Change Committee’s report details the lack of preparation for, and the risks to lives and livelihoods from, a rapidly changing climate; including increasingly intense heatwaves, floods, droughts and resulting food shortages.
Taking just one example of extreme heat: we all experienced the 40oC heat wave in 2022, and we are all experiencing in excess of 30oC this May Bank Holiday. These events will be normal by 2050, predicted to kill up to 10,000 people in Britain annually – equivalent to around 50 people a year in our district.
Climate Change policy is a complex issue, but, most projects in Wakefield are externally funded, not funded by the Council. Many are “invest to save projects” that make sound financial sense. Others are designed to benefit local people. The Reform Council’s policy decision would seem to be a false economy, given the costs of responding to emergency situations and the costs of coping with the worsening climate.
We do not want to see people in our district lose out on government investment in their homes, nor the district’s infrastructure to lose the same.
We invite Cllr Johnson to hear the real evidence for climate change and the need for action at the People’s Emergency Briefing screening in Treacy Hall on Friday June 12th.
We are always open to meet any or all councillors for detailed discussions on these important issues of climate change and loss of nature and look forward to hearing from the new council.
Just Transition Wakefield
May 2026