Leaders in Newcastle have been accused of not acting fast enough to hit an ambitious target of reaching net zero by 2030.
It is more than three years since Newcastle City Council set itself a goal of making the city carbon neutral by the end of this decade, 20 years ahead of the government’s national target for the UK. But the city’s Liberal Democrats have claimed that, while Newcastle’s carbon reduction plans have gained international acclaim, tangible progress on boosting Tyneside’s environmental credentials has been “too slow” and a panel tasked with overseeing the drive to reach net zero has “no teeth”.
Labour insisted that combating climate change was “one of the council’s top priorities” and that decarbonisation of public buildings had already saved thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere. The criticism came during a council meeting last week, where Ouseburn councillor Gareth Kane hit out at the local authority's record on the climate crisis.
