Climate declaration won't stop wildfires - council

A county council has defended its choice to axe its climate emergency declaration after a huge wildfire destroyed acres of heathland.

Suffolk County Council, led by Reform UK, announced last month it had reversed the declaration, which was previously made in 2019 when the council was being led by the Conservatives.

On Wednesday, a huge wildfire broke out, destroying Dunwich Heath, which prompted the local Green Party to call for the declaration to be reinstated as it was "abundantly clear" Suffolk, like the rest of the world, was experiencing climate change.

But Morgan Brobyn, the council's cabinet member for food, waste and rural affairs, said "declaring a climate emergency does not stop a wildfire from starting".

"At a time like this, Suffolk residents expect elected representatives to come together, support those on the frontline and thank the many people working tirelessly to protect lives, property and our natural environment," he said.

He added: "The decision taken by the council at its recent meeting was not about whether we care about the environment. We do.

"It was about ensuring our approach is focused on practical action and real outcomes rather than symbolic declarations."

He added that the climate remains a priority and his thoughts were with those affected at Dunwich.

Annette Dunning, Green councillor for Halesworth and the group's spokesperson for communities, said the efforts from the fire service at Dunwich Heath had been "truly amazing".

"At our recent protest at Endeavour House regarding scrapping the Climate Emergency Declaration, firefighters from Suffolk and the Fire Brigades Union joined us to explain the impact of the changing climate on their work and the increasing danger of wildfires in Suffolk," she said.

"The wildfire at Dunwich Heath makes it abundantly clear that Suffolk, like the rest of the world, is indeed experiencing a climate emergency.

"The council has a responsibility to show Suffolk residents that it realises this."

Harry Richardson, Conservative spokesperson for public health and environment, said the wildfires being seen across the UK and worldwide were "very clearly an emergency".

"We were pleased to be able to push Reform UK to amend their recent motion to at least accept the reality of climate change and will continue to try to ensure they take these issues seriously because I fear some in their ranks do not," he said.

Last month, a protest was held outside the council's offices at Endeavour House in Ipswich after it voted to axe the declaration, where more than 70 people were in attendance.

Richard Beeby, the secretary for Suffolk's Fire Brigades Union, told protesters the declaration was not just a "piece of paper", but represented the "stark reality" for firefighters, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

According to the council, a total of £14.7m has been invested in about 150 decarbonisation programmes since the declaration in 2019.

Of this, the vast majority of the money has come from government grants and interest-free loans, with £3.8m coming from the authority's cash reserves.

The money has only ever been used on an "invest-to-save" basis, meaning projects were already expected to deliver savings.

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