Havering Council, London's only Reform UK-controlled local authority, has formally rescinded its climate emergency declaration, a move that comes as the capital experiences its warmest day on record and a summer projected to be the hottest ever. The council's leader stated last month that the emergency status forced the authority to pursue "arbitrary targets" that burden taxpayers, but the party has not yet specified which targets were scrapped or the exact savings achieved.
Climate Declaration Reversal
The previous administration declared a climate emergency in 2023, committing the borough to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. Reform UK, which now controls the council, has argued that the declaration was merely symbolic and that related policies would place "unnecessary cost or restriction" on residents. The party has emphasized its focus on making the borough greener through practical measures, such as planting more trees and improving green spaces, independent of the formal declaration.
When asked to quantify the savings or identify the "arbitrary targets," Councillor Martynas Cekavicius, Havering's cabinet member for Public Realm, admitted, "I haven't got that figure at the moment, we only made the change a few weeks ago, so I can't give you the figure at the moment." He expressed optimism that residents would see tangible financial benefits over time, adding that "he thought" these would become more apparent.
Reform Defends Decision
Addressing criticism that the reversal comes during a record-breaking hot summer, Cllr Cekavicius highlighted the council's mandate: "There are many people in the borough who have very strong opinions about this, but Reform has a strong mandate in the council chamber." He also pointed to the limited global impact of local action, noting that Havering contributes just 0.0016 per cent to global emissions. "I don't know what they expect a relatively small London borough to achieve, or what they expect a single London borough to achieve when it comes to cutting global emissions," he said, adding that major emitters like China, India, and Russia are unlikely to be influenced by Havering's policies.
As an example of a scrapped initiative, Cllr Cekavicius cited a proposal to install solar panels on the council building's roof, which he said would have taken 40 years to break even. He stressed the council's poor financial state, inherited from the previous administration, and said, "We are not going to be spending money on something like this when residents do not see and will not see for a very long time any sort of improvements to the council's finances."
Opposition Criticism
Councillor Gillian Ford of the Havering Residents Association opposed the motion when it was raised on July 22. She argued, "The impact of climate change hits the most vulnerable the hardest, with the lack of funds to seek mitigation measures. To abandon the Strategy is a retrograde step." While she acknowledged the need to review the strategy, she criticized the Reform motion as "merely posturing and cowering to Reform UK Ltd.'s demands." Ford called for collective cooperation, risk identification, budget pooling, and external funding to address climate challenges effectively.
Havering was among the last London councils to adopt a net-zero target of 2040, a goal now scrapped under the new administration. The decision reflects a broader trend of Reform councils across the country rescinding similar climate motions, as the party prioritizes financial savings over symbolic commitments.
