Latest news with #DarrenGrimes
BBC News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Durham County Council votes to scrap net zero pledge
A county council has revoked its net zero pledge, despite opposition from cross-party councillors and UK councillors in County Durham moved to scrap the 2019 declaration, with an alternative social care pledge voted council leader Darren Grimes, who brought the motion to revoke the climate vow, said: "We are done with expensive virtue-signalling tripe, and care about our residents."Liberal Democrat Mark Wilkes said the council had saved £13m in the past year through climate-saving efficiencies and labelled the Reform motion "cynical and insulting". The previous council environment pledge aimed to achieve net zero emissions by 2045. Net zero means no longer adding to the total amount of greenhouse gases in the said the alternative "care emergency" declaration would help recognise the "critical and escalating crisis" in children's social care, including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) added: "We seek to declare a real care emergency that's devouring our kids and coffers in tandem." Campaigners gathered outside Durham County Hall before the vote to oppose the banners and placards warned of the ongoing climate emergency, telling council leaders to "get your heads out of the sand". Another message, held by one young boy, read: "If you care…allow me to have a future."Durham County Council received a national award last year for its carbon reduction and was praised for its use of green technologies, including wind turbines, solar panels, and battery said social care issues had "nothing whatsoever to do with climate change"."It is our young people who are going to be most impacted by climate change, and indeed, the savings we have been making off the back of our action on the climate, including energy efficiency measures, is actually helping us to protect frontline social care services," he Elmer, Green Party councillor for Brandon, opposed the Reform plea and said: " If councillor Grimes really cared about SEND provision, he'd have brought this motion without reference to climate change."He'd have worked for cross-party consensus on it, he'd have looked to get ideas and input on how to improve the lives of SEND kids in County Durham from across this chamber."But instead, he's stoked controversy and division. Undoubtedly, many people will conclude it's the controversy that he really cares about."Sixty-two Reform councillors voted to approve the motion, while seven from other parties voted against. There were 17 abstentions and 12 councillors were not present at the meeting, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Reform renamed several key council departments in May, including removing references to climate change in one key cabinet portfolio. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Move to drop Durham County Council's climate change target
A county council's net zero target could be revoked and social care prioritised. A motion has been put forward by Durham County Council's deputy leader and Reform councillor Darren Grimes "to rescind a climate emergency" declared in local authority had hoped to achieve net zero emissions across the county by 2045 to tackle climate change. However, Grimes said the Reform-led council should declare a county-wide emergency to tackle the "critical and escalating crisis" in children's social care, including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) provision. County Durham Liberal Democrats are to stage a protest opposing the proposed move, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Lib Dem Councillor Mark Wilkes said: "Councillor Grimes thinks net zero is the cause of the council's financial problems. "It's absolute nonsense. Indeed work we have been doing has actually saved the council money."He also said the "massive increases" in adult and social care costs had been caused by inflation, societal changes and under-funding of councils. 'Urgent threat' Grimes, who represents the Annfield Plain and Tanfield area, warned that the ongoing children's social care crisis was the "most urgent threat to the well-being of our children and the financial stability" of the this year, the local authority said it was struggling to cope with rising demand and called for major changes to said he wanted to see investment in early intervention services to support children within their families, as well as expanding provision for children in care and those with will vote on the motion at a full council meeting on local authority's current climate emergency response plan will run until 2027. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Reform-run councils once known for green policies expected to scrap climate pledges
Two councils that have been recognised for their work to cut emissions but are now under the control of Reform UK are expected to scrap climate pledges this week. Durham county council's deputy leader, the former GB News presenter Darren Grimes, has proposed a motion to rescind a 2019 declaration of a climate emergency, in what it is believed would be a UK first. West Northamptonshire council, meanwhile, looks set to become the first Reform-led authority to scrap net zero targets. The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, warned MPs about the climate crisis on Monday, saying he would explicitly call out politicians who rejected net zero policies for betraying future generations in an unprecedented 'state of the climate' address to parliament. In what is planned to be an annual event, the energy security and net zero secretary will set out the findings of a new Met Office-led report that says the UK is already facing extreme weather and its effects. Durham picked up a national award for best carbon reduction in December in recognition of its work over 15 years to tackle the climate crisis. Mark Wilkes, Durham's climate lead under the previous Liberal Democrat administration, said the Reform motion was both 'morally reprehensible' and 'economically illiterate'. He said there would be a cross-party challenge when it went before the Reform-majority council chamber on Wednesday. 'Over the last few years, we have secured millions of pounds of external funding and have reduced council costs through our climate emergency plans and invest to save projects,' he said. 'We took Durham county council to the best in the region at tackling climate related issues and Reform are now doing their best to reverse the positive work we have been doing.' More than 300 councils across the UK have declared climate emergencies since 2018. It is not clear if Durham's climate emergency response plan, which includes a target of becoming a net zero council by 2030, will be abandoned, or if the motion solely relates to the declaration. The council has been contacted for comment. Last week West Northamptonshire council announced plans to ditch targets for the council's operation to be net zero by 2030, along with a 2045 target for the whole borough, to 'prioritise practical, realistic projects'. It comes after extensive work by the previous administration to create a new climate change strategy, which was signed off in March. The council says the 'refocus' will enable it to 'focus its limited resources on matters which directly benefit local people and businesses' and is 'in recognition of the limited ability of the council to materially affect global warming given the many factors outside of its control'. According to the Climate Change Committee, UK councils have a direct impact on a third of emissions in their area, largely due to their responsibilities in housing, transport and energy. Government research also shows that localised climate action brings 'better results for both communities and the economy at a lower cost'. West Northamptonshire's plans will go before cabinet members on Wednesday for approval. An accompanying report states the council will continue with its sustainability strategy, which 'has been shown to have real benefits for residents and businesses and makes an ongoing contribution to the UK's 2050 net zero target'. The council was recognised for its environmental work in 2023. The council leader, Mark Arnull, said: 'We're fully committed to creating a more sustainable West Northamptonshire, looking after and improving our environment, and we want to further prioritise our focus on delivering practical, high-impact projects that make a real difference to people's lives.' Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Kent county council, Reform's largest, last week announced plans to slash net zero projects as part of cuts identified by its new Department for Local Government Efficiency unit. It said the funds would be 'redirected back into vital services'. Isaac Beevor of Climate Emergency UK, which assesses councils based on their climate progress, said the councils were not prioritising local people, but 'demonstrating an obsession with impressing Reform HQ'. He said: 'Rescinding a climate emergency or scrapping net zero targets during a heatwave and following the driest spring in 100 years, with farmers struggling to grow crops and vulnerable people forced into A&E as councils issue heatwave alerts, is extreme.' Last month was England's hottest ever June, and contributed to record A&E demand. Mike Kendon at the Met Office said: 'Breaking records frequently and seeing these extremes, this is now the norm. We might not notice the change from one year to the next, but if we look back 10 years, or 30 years, we can see some really big changes. We're moving outside the envelope of what we've known in the past. 'The extremes have the greatest impact for our society, if we think about our infrastructure, our public health, and how we function,' he said. 'So this is really of profound concern.' Another Reform councillor, Bert Bingham, who serves as Nottinghamshire county council's environment lead, on Thursday called human-made global heating a 'hoax'. He said statistics were 'manipulated' and that 'people have been brainwashed over time through the media'. Speaking at a town hall meeting after Labour opposition members had tabled a motion calling for the Reform-led council to recommit to its 2030 carbon neutral target, Bingham said: 'I've been involved in award-winning sustainability projects for 25 years, and I've never seen such nonsense as the anthropogenic global warming hoax.' The motion did not pass.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Presenter Launches Legal Action Against GB News After Saying He Was Dismissed For Calling Former Home Secretary 'A Racist'
An ex-GB News presenter is taking the network to court after claiming he was dismissed for calling the former Home Secretary a 'racist and a thoroughly bigoted woman.' Albie Amankona is being supported by the UK's Good Law Project and says he is headed to an employment tribunal for alleged racial discrimination, belief discrimination, harassment, unequal pay, victimisation for speaking out and unfair dismissal. GB News calls his claim 'misconceived.' More from Deadline Ofcom Boss: Landmark UK Supreme Court Ruling On Definition Of A Woman "May Affect" How Regulator Judges Complaints About TV Shows GB News Wins Landmark Legal Battle With UK Media Regulator Ofcom Over Trump Report Ofcom Set To Receive 60,000 Complaints Over GB News Pedophile Joke Amankona, who was previously a regular on the right-leaning channel, says he was dropped by GB News last year after he said he believed Braverman was 'a racist and a thoroughly bigoted woman.' He was told by co-host and now Reform UK politician, Darren Grimes, that 'you cannot sit on this show and call someone a racist', and says he was later informed by GB News that he had 'crossed a line' between robust discussion and 'unjustifiable offence.' GB News apologized to Braverman on X over the incident and she thanked the network for the apology. 'Mr Amankona's claim is misconceived, without merit and being robustly defended. As the claim is ongoing we do not propose to comment further,' said a GB News spokesman. Braverman was at the center of the BBC's row over Gary Lineker's tweets two years back, when Lineker tweeted criticizing the government's asylum policy. The news represents GB News' latest legal tussle, while the network has also had plenty of presenter and pundit turnaround during its time on air. Both Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson were sacked in 2023, while host Dan Wootton left soon after. Earlier this year, GB News won a landmark legal battle against Ofcom over a report by presenter Jacob Rees-Mogg about Donald Trump. Best of Deadline 'The Gilded Age' Season 3 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Presenter Launches Legal Action Against GB News After Saying He Was Dismissed For Calling Former Home Secretary 'A Racist'
An ex-GB News presenter is taking the network to court after claiming he was dismissed for calling the former Home Secretary a 'racist and a thoroughly bigoted woman.' Albie Amankona is being supported by the UK's Good Law Project and says he is headed to an employment tribunal for alleged racial discrimination, belief discrimination, harassment, unequal pay, victimisation for speaking out and unfair dismissal. GB News calls his claim 'misconceived.' More from Deadline Ofcom Boss: Landmark UK Supreme Court Ruling On Definition Of A Woman "May Affect" How Regulator Judges Complaints About TV Shows GB News Wins Landmark Legal Battle With UK Media Regulator Ofcom Over Trump Report Ofcom Set To Receive 60,000 Complaints Over GB News Pedophile Joke Amankona, who was previously a regular on the right-leaning channel, says he was dropped by GB News last year after he said he believed Braverman was 'a racist and a thoroughly bigoted woman.' He was told by co-host and now Reform UK politician, Darren Grimes, that 'you cannot sit on this show and call someone a racist', and says he was later informed by GB News that he had 'crossed a line' between robust discussion and 'unjustifiable offence.' GB News apologized to Braverman on X over the incident and she thanked the network for the apology. 'Mr Amankona's claim is misconceived, without merit and being robustly defended. As the claim is ongoing we do not propose to comment further,' said a GB News spokesman. Braverman was at the center of the BBC's row over Gary Lineker's tweets two years back, when Lineker tweeted criticizing the government's asylum policy. The news represents GB News' latest legal tussle, while the network has also had plenty of presenter and pundit turnaround during its time on air. Both Laurence Fox and Calvin Robinson were sacked in 2023, while host Dan Wootton left soon after. Earlier this year, GB News won a landmark legal battle against Ofcom over a report by presenter Jacob Rees-Mogg about Donald Trump. Best of Deadline 'The Gilded Age' Season 3 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds
