Wakefield Council's cabinet members are expected to vote in favour of scrapping the authority's climate targets at a meeting on 21 July.

The Reform-led administration plans to abandon the council's pledge to become carbon-neutral by 2030 and will cut its climate change budget by £170,000 if the proposals are approved.

The climate commitments being overturned were made under the previous Labour administration in 2019, when the council declared a climate emergency. That declaration included a target for the authority to become carbon-neutral by 2030 and for the wider Wakefield district to reach net zero by 2038.

What the council says

Reform took control of Wakefield Council in May when it won 58 out of 63 seats at the local elections. In June, cabinet members voted in favour of reversing both the climate change and biodiversity declarations from 2019.

A report to the council states the decision is "not about denying the science behind climate change, but focusing the work of the council on action that can be delivered and will benefit our residents." The report describes the authority's and district's existing targets as "unachievable" and "not needed [for] focused action".

Council leader Karl Johnson said the £170,000 currently allocated to climate change work would instead be directed towards making the council's property portfolio — which includes more than 1,600 assets such as civic buildings, offices and commercial property — more energy efficient.

What will change

If approved, the council will unpublish its climate change action plan and scrap the role of "climate change elected member champion".

The authority will withdraw support from the Wakefield Net Zero Partnership, which connects local organisations, businesses and community groups to share sustainability best practices. Wakefield Council will also withdraw from the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission's climate action pledge.

However, the council plans to upgrade 72% of its "ageing fleet of vehicles" and improve recycling rates. It will also support residents and businesses to become more energy efficient and maintain more than 600 green spaces across the district.

Workforce implications

A report to the council notes that the climate change decisions may have "workforce implications" that could be "subject to formal trade union consultation", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.