Swaffham Town Council rejects supporting Climate and Ecology Bill, with councillors having mixed opinions

Opposing opinions were put across before a town council opted not to show support for the Government’s Climate and Ecology Bill.

This is a private members’ bill going before Parliament aimed at tackling issues with the climate, and is being led by the group Zero Hour.

It proposes a plan for a new UK law which addresses what many feel is a climate emergency in line with the most up-to-date science.

However, Cllr Lindsey Beech said: “Their (Zero Hour) plan is to educate communities about systems of oppression that are the route causes of climate change.

“These routes include capitalism, racism, sexism, patriarchy and colonialism and how these systems can intersect to form a climate justice.

“I might get in trouble for saying this, but the ideology sounds very Marxist to me, and I’m not comfortable in supporting it.”

However, Cllr Graham Edwards suggested that the council write back saying that they will “do what we can”.

Cllr Les Scott said he believes the council should support the bill: “I’m more interested that this request has come from the Swaffham Climate Action Group, who I think are a reputable group and they are not political.

“I like the fact that they are proposing in this bill to have an assembly that will comment on climate, and will not be made up of just MPs.

“Our neighbourhood plan has a whole environment policy in it and it says the growth of the town should respect the natural environment through minimising pollution and considering climate change. That plan was formed with views from the public who clearly think that what is happening to the climate is important to them.

“I think this is a good thing to support - it’s got 180 Members of Parliament supporting it across all the parties, it's not a party political thing.”

Two voted in favour of supporting the bill, four voted against and seven abstained from voting.