Attempts by opposition councillors on the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to have the council declare a climate emergency were crushed by the ruling Conservative group.
The motion was voted down at a meeting of the full council this week, who took a firm stance against a greener agenda for the new Council.
The ruling Conservative party tabled a wrecking amendment which killed a motion put forward by the Yorkshire Party and seconded by the Liberal Democrats.
Had it been approved it would have compelled the council to declare a climate emergency along with the government and many other local authorities.
The climate emergency would have required the council to raise public awareness of climate change and the steps people could take to reduce their own carbon footprints.
The lost motion also committed the Council to undertake a full environmental audit to measure its own carbon footprint and to being carbon neutral by 2030.
Speaking after the debate, Cllr Denis Healy said:
“Whilst I understand that the environment and the future of our planet are not high on the agendas of many Conservatives.”
“The real hypocrites are those Tory councillors who make bold claims, particularly on local social media about their green credentials, and then proceed to abandon their principles when it comes to the crunch vote and support the party line as instructed by their whips.”
“It was a depressing first full council meeting and shows how out of touch the Tories are with public opinion and public concerns about climate change.”
