A climate and environment emergency declaration adopted by North Northants Council (NNC) could be rescinded after two Reform members put forward a motion to scrap a commitment made in 2021.

Cllr Leon Gibbs (Reform/Barton Seagrave and Burton Latimer) and Cllr Lee Duffy (Reform/Lloyds and Corby Village) have proposed to end North Northamptonshire Council’s declaration of a ‘Climate and Environment Emergency’.

Since coming to power the majority of Reform-run local authorities have also rescinded their climate emergency declarations, with NNC left as an outlier.

Green Party councillors have slammed the motion as ‘boring’ and ‘predictable’ and not offering a new solution or idea.

Summer 2026 was the hottest summer on record for the UK with 40 days with temperatures above 30°C recorded and five widespread heatwaves/Tony Hardacre

placeholder image — Summer 2026 was the hottest summer on record for the UK with 40 days with temperatures above 30°C recorded and five widespread heatwaves/Tony Hardacre

Cllr Ben Williams (Green/Ise), deputy leader of the Green group, said: “This is the first motion Reform have submitted to this council since May last year.

“It is boring, predictable, and offers literally nothing to the residents of North Northamptonshire.

“Reform’s first motion is to take something away, not to implement a new solution or idea.”

Reform-led North Northamptonshire Council scraps climate change 2030 commitment ...

In July 2021, NNC declared a climate and environmental emergency. Less than a year later the council formally committed to a 2030 net-zero carbon target following a push from Green Party councillors.

But in September 2025 under the leadership of Cllr Martin Griffiths, the Reform UK-led administration voted to scrap the 2030 goal and align with the national 2050 target. Officials stated the previous trajectory of cutting 2,000 tonnes of carbon per year was ‘financially unviable’.

As temperatures rose this summer, in June 2026 a full council meeting at the Corby Cube was postponed due to extreme heat – dubbed the ‘Great Scorch’ – which opposition Green members highlighted as an ironic backdrop to the delayed net-zero targets.

The motion states: “This Council believes that

· Protecting and enhancing our natural environment, reducing unnecessary energy consumption and making responsible use of public resources do not depend upon maintaining a declaration of emergency.

· Environmental and energy considerations should be addressed where they are material to a decision.

· The council should focus its resources on practical, achievable and measurable interventions which reduce energy consumption and waste, improve the efficiency and resilience of council assets, protect and enhance the natural environment and deliver value for money.”

Cllrs Gibbs and Duffy proposal would rescind the Climate and Environment Emergency Declaration and instead ‘refocus’ the carbon management plan by ‘prioritising practical, achievable and measurable interventions which reduce energy consumption and waste, improve the efficiency and resilience of council assets, protect and enhance the natural environment, secure external investment where appropriate and deliver value for money’.

They also propose to introduce Environmental Consideration Assessments (ECAs) in place of the existing Climate Change Impact Assessment (CCIA) process to focus on environmental impacts without imposing ‘unnecessary administrative requirements’.

Councillors will also be asked to vote to reaffirm the council’s commitment to protecting and enhancing North Northamptonshire’s natural environment and to pursuing ‘practical measures which deliver environmental, financial or community benefits for the people who live in the area’.

The full council meeting takes place at The Corby Cube at 6pm on Thursday, September 24.

For the full agenda and to watch on the livestream click here.