Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, led by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, scrapped net zero targets, saving taxpayers over £10.5 million.
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❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, under the leadership of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, has canceled the green agenda targets it inherited to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030, resulting in taxpayer savings exceeding £10.5 million (~$14.3m).
📰 DETAIL: The council’s decision reversed a 2019 declaration of a supposed “climate emergency” and halted planned expenditures on expensive net zero initiatives, including £2.191 million (~$3m) for electric refuse vehicles and £4.2 million (~$5.7m) for charging infrastructure. Additional savings were identified in other net zero projects.
💬 KEY QUOTE: “We have pulled the plug on the previous administration’s Net Zero spending spree and put taxpayers first. No family would rip out a perfectly good boiler in their own home when it still works, and the council should have the same common sense mentality. Every pound belongs to the taxpayer. It should support reliable services and real improvements in our towns and communities, not disappear into expensive green gimmicks and arbitrary political targets.” – Jonathan Gullis, Council Leader
🎯 IMPACT: The cancellation of net zero plans is expected to reduce projected revenue costs by £603,000 (~$822,000) over the next five years, strengthening the council’s financial stability and enabling investment in local priorities. “Instead of spending millions on ideological Net Zero projects, we want to invest responsibly in our parks, town centers, public spaces, and frontline services,” explained Council Deputy Leader Graham Shaw, pledging that Reform “will continue going through the books, challenging every assumption and refusing to sign off spending simply because the previous administration put it in a plan.”
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