The Green Party should face scrutiny on their plans for running local authorities

One of the more absurd aspects of the life of a local councillor is debating motions at full council meetings. Often they don’t involve a genuine decision for the Council to do something, but virtue signalling demands for someone else to do something. Calls for central Government to spend more money on something or another is a favourite one. Hardly any members of the public attend. There is the captive audience of a few senior bureaucrats on six-figure salaries.  But really, it is like actors in an empty theatre. The type of oratory varies from those reading out their speeches in a monotone, sounding as bored as those listening to them, to those who got to the opposite extreme of self-importance and synthetic indignation.

Particularly ridiculous are those where the Council pretends to have powers it doesn’t have. Perhaps drifting into defence and foreign policy. Declarations of Nuclear Free Zones used to be all the rage. “The council resolves to observe the wish of the significant majority of its residents to remain in the European Union,” was one that was put forward in Hammersmith and Fulham when I was a councillor. Then we had a fashion for “declaring a climate emergency.”

The Times reports that many such councils, basking in a sense of moral superiority over their “climate emergency” motions having been passed, then proceeded to increase their energy consumption:

“Freedom of information requests to every council in the country show that one in three, 121 in total, used more gas or electricity in the year to April than over the previous 12 months, and 55 councils increased consumption of both.

“In total, 47 of these 55 councils have declared a climate emergency, committing themselves to urgent action to combat global warming.” 

One culprit was Oldham Council, which declared a climate emergency in 2019:

“A document published on its website in 2023, describes climate change as a “crisis” and “one of the biggest risks faced by mankind”. It says: “We must do everything within our power, and more, to transition to sustainable modes of living and dramatically reduce our greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible.”…Last year, the council increased its electricity consumption by 28.8 per cent and its gas consumption by 0.35 per cent. When it was asked to explain these increases it did not respond.”

Then there is Merton Council, which also made the declaration in 2019 and pledged to “take urgent action to reduce carbon emissions”:

“However, last year, the council increased its electricity consumption by 8.1 per cent and burnt through 6.4 per cent more gas.”

The report adds:

“Other councils that have declared a climate emergency but increased both their gas and electricity consumption include Bath and North East Somerset, Cheshire West and Chester, Lincoln and Wakefield councils.”

Reform UK councils are, quite rightly, being subjected to media scrutiny over their pledges to make substantial savings in wasteful spending. Of course, if they put up Council Tax even higher there will be a sense of betrayal. But what of the Green Party, who will be hoping to gain control of more councils this year? Will their opposition to “austerity” prompt them to seek approval for big Council Tax increases via referendums? Or to have a spending spree without doing so and just wait for the commissioners to be sent in, as they hurtle towards bankruptcy? How practical will their environmental policies be when it comes to matters where they have actual responsibility?

Bristol City Council is lead by the Green Party, while also propped up by the Lib Dems. The “Green” vision is for rubbish piled high in the streets with dustbins only being emptied once a month. Libraries are closed, anti-motorist schemes make traffic jams worse and the Council Tax is pushed up. Those defending women’s rights face intimidation.

In Brighton and Hove, the Green Party lost power in the Council after a record of hypocrisy and mismanagement. The failings included the worst recycling rate in the country and sending councillors off on jets to attend climate change conferences.

The Green Party has been seen as a worthy and respectable outlet to protest at the main parties. It is important that voters understand its true extreme left wing nature. I fear some may find this out the hard way when it sweeps to power in several more councils this year.