Motion urging Warwickshire County Council to strengthen its own climate action plan has been voted down by the controlling Conservative group

A motion urging Warwickshire County Council to strengthen its own climate action plan has been voted down by the controlling Conservative group.

The Greens and Liberal Democrats joined forces to put forward the motion which was backed by Labour at this week’s full council meeting.

It suggested that the council should bring forward its commitment to be climate neutral by five years to 2025 with the county being climate neutral by 2033 rather than 2050. It also called for a dedicated ‘carbon management team’ at the council and suggested that new county council buildings should be carbon neutral.

The motion also called for two-thirds of new capital investment be in green initiatives rather than road building by 2025 and urged the council’s pension fund not to invest in companies involved in the extraction of fossil fuels.

In proposing the motion, Cllr Will Roberts (Green, Leamington Willes) said: “We note the good work that has taken place so far regarding the climate emergency but we must adapt as the emergency unfolds and we must now accelerate, adapt and change our plans.

“Our climate ambitions are moderate at best. The council has made progress but nowhere near fast enough and we must look at decarbonising our estates sooner than 2030 and certainly Warwickshire before 2050.”

But the council’s portfolio holder for environment, climate and culture, Cllr Heather Timms (Con, Earl Craven), said many of things being suggested were already being done.

She explained: “I welcome elements of this notice of motion coming forward but that’s because I know that we are already doing it and already working on it.

“We are currently consulting our residents on the new-look council plan with specific objectives on climate change that we’ve all committed to and developing that costed plan that goes alongside it. I like to hear from our residents first.

“In short, this motion is premature and uncosted and we are already working towards our commitments through our agenda and our council plan. We will continue to work with all of our local authority partners and with all of our residents.”

Other Tory councillors went further, questioning the merit of such initiatives.

Cllr Peter Butlin (Con, Admirals and Cawston) said: “You have to ask ‘what are we doing it for’ when you consider what the rest of the world is doing.

“It’s a bit like nuclear disarmament, the only way you can do something meaningful is if everybody does it, but it is quite plain that the rest of the world is not doing it. If you compare this country with the rest of the world we are very green and very clean.”