Wakefield Council has agreed to scrap its target to become a carbon-neutral authority by 2030 and cut its climate change budget by £170,000.
Cabinet members of the Reform-led administration voted in favour of overturning climate change and biodiversity declarations made in 2019.
Leader Karl Johnson told the meeting it was not about “denying the science of climate change” but it was about “focusing council resources on practical actions that can be delivered locally and benefit residents”.
However, campaigners said climate action by the authority was “being hidden to slowly wither and die”.
Under Labour, the council had declared a climate emergency, pledging to become a carbon-neutral authority by 2030 and a net-zero district by 2038.
Johnson described the targets as “unachievable and unnecessary” and said the authority would also “unpublish” the council’s climate change action plan as well as scrapping the role of “climate change elected member champion”.
Cabinet members also agreed to end support for the Wakefield Net Zero Partnership, an organisation which connects local organisations, businesses and community groups to share sustainability best practices.
The council will now withdraw from the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission’s climate action pledge, a public commitment for businesses and organisations to act on the climate and ecological emergency.
The meeting was told the council’s climate change newsletter and associated social media channels would be “retired” under the changes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
