County council redirects net-zero cash to flood defences

A Reform UK council has reallocated £2m from an earmarked carbon reduction reserve to flood mitigation initiatives.

Leicestershire County Council also approved a change in focus of its previously agreed net-zero action plan from reducing carbon emissions to climate adaptation and responding to severe weather events.

Adam Tilbury, cabinet member for environment and flooding, told colleagues he “fully supports” moving the funds, saying the threat of flooding was “here and now”.

Conservative councillor Deborah Taylor warned in the coming years Parliament may expand the council’s legal duties in tackling climate change and she could not see anything in the report that “mitigates this risk”.

In 2022 the previous administration set aside a £2m reserve to provide initial investment in carbon reduction initiatives and agreed a net-zero strategy to end Leicestershire’s contribution to global warming by 2045.

In February 2024, this was reassessed in light of the council’s “increasingly constrained” financial position, and a target of 2050 to reach net-zero in the county was set, council documents added

Deputy leader of the council, Joseph Boam said: “I think it’s absolutely great to see us starting to scrap the wasteful net stupid zero agenda.

“And instead putting the funding towards something that actually matters, like tackling flooding, which has been neglected for far too long in Leicestershire.”

Council documents said on 6 January, during an unnamed storm, significant rainfall led to the “worst flooding event” in recent history in Leicestershire.

According to the authority, an estimated 900 properties across the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) region were flooded – including a confirmed 717 in Leicestershire.

Reform UK councillor Harrison Fowler said: “UK authorities of all sizes like to parade their net-zero efforts around like some badge of honour.

“But in reality, it’s nothing more than shallow virtue signalling and PR.”

Council documents prepared for the meeting said the role of local government in combating climate change had been “constrained by a lack of a clear legal duty as well as a lack of funding from the government”.

The documents said the Environmental Targets Bill was currently before Parliament, which aims to introduce a statutory objective requiring public bodies to contribute to the delivery of targets to address climate change.

The report added: “In summary, the proposal under consideration presently appears lawful.

“However, the cabinet should have in mind that, in the coming years, Parliament may well expand the council’s legal duties.”