Malvern Chase Councillor Jack Satterthwaite welcomes Climate Emergency Declaration at Worcestershire County Council

Worcestershire County Council's new Liberal Democrat group of Councillors have been successful in their campaign to get Worcestershire County Council to declare a climate emergency.

A previous attempt to declare a climate change emergency was voted down by the Conservatives in 2019 but they have been persuaded to change course and finally declare a climate emergency after it became a significant issue in the 2021 local elections.

The Liberal Democrat motion calls for a new committee to be set up to deliver policies to address the climate emergency and to push for a carbon neutral council. The Lib Dems proposed making the County Council carbon neutral by 2035 but the Conservatives amended the motion to push back the target until 2050.

75% of other councils in the country declared a climate emergency before Worcestershire did this week. The climate emergency declaration should signal that the County Council will do more in the future to protect the environment.

Cllr Jack Satterthwaite, Liberal Democrat County Councillor for Barnards Green and Malvern Wells, commented that:

"I was proud to be one of the Councillors that put forward the successful climate change emergency motion at the County Council."

"It is good that Worcestershire has finally caught up with the majority of other councils in the country and backed the long-standing Liberal Democrat campaign to declare a climate emergency"

"I will work to make sure that the Conservatives live up to the Climate Change emergency and act to make transport greener, lower carbon emissions and improve recycling rates."

Local Lib Dem Campaigner in Malvern, Jack Ashington-Carter, said that:

"It is disappointing that the Conservatives amended the motion to push back the target to be carbon neutral by 2050 instead of the 2035 date that the Lib Dems proposed. I think the Conservatives need to take the climate change emergency more seriously and bring forward the carbon neutral date to 2035 before it's too late."