Teesworks council to consider dropping net zero pledge
Plus: Government ignores Ben Houchen's 13 letters
Good morning, it’s edition number 58 of The Teesside Lead.
In this edition I ask why the government isn’t taking Ben Houchen seriously, and look at how seriously a local authority is taking its commitments to net zero.
If you’re able to support The Teesside Lead, a paid sub is only £4.99 a month or £49 a year. If you don’t have the means, then subscribing for free is also a massive help to me as I try to bring you independent journalism in the Tees Valley every single week.
Thanks for reading, and thanks to all who get in touch with story tips. Discretion assured, as always! Get in touch at teesside@thelead.uk or via Bluesky.
Enjoy your week,
Leigh
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) is to push back its plans to become a net zero authority by ten years, despite being hoping to be a central location in the energy transition.
A report presented to councillors recommended delaying plans to become net zero by 2030, despite the fact the authority was on target to do so. It describes the plan to be net zero within the next five years as “ambitious”, but warns further investment is needed to continue its current trajectory.
The Conservatives introduced the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in 2020 as part of measures to support economic recovery post-Covid. It granted cash to public bodies to help them reach carbon neutrality, but the scheme comes to an end after the current financial year.
Redcar Council has had to make £8.8m of savings this financial year in order to balance its books, which has included the sale of assets.
The report to councillors presented by deputy leader Carrie Richardson, says: “Given current financial challenges facing all local authorities, an honest assessment is required as to whether 2030 remains achievable.”
The authority now intends to align its plans to those of the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA), of which it is a constituent member.
A spokesperson for the council told me: “The council has not changed any target deadline at this time. However, a recent report to Full Council made clear that, whilst significant progress has been achieved within the resources available, it is likely that substantial additional investment will be required in the coming years if we are to remain on target for 2030.”
They added that linking their decarbonisation goal to TVCA’s target for the region’s industry to become net zero by 2040 “may be logical”.
In RCBC’s corporate plan from 2020, the council said around 85% of emissions from the borough came from industry, and that the council itself was responsible for 9,200 tonnes of the overall total.
For 2024/25, the council says its emissions had dropped to 5,224 tonnes.
Teesworks, the enormous ongoing regeneration project at the former Redcar steelworks site, hopes to be central to the government’s national net zero ambition. Work is about to imminently begin on the construction of Net Zero Teesside, a gas-fired power station which aims to have its carbon emissions captured at source. The project has been backed by billions in government grants.
The site is also home to SeAH Wind’s offshore wind farm factory and many other green energy projects are in the pipeline.
At the council meeting, Cllr Richardson was accused of committing a U-turn on the council’s green ambition.
She said the “challenge that was previously set was that we would be a carbon neutral borough by 2030, rather than a carbon neutral council.
“It’s difficult when half of the borough is setting a different date.”
Independent councillor Dr Tristan Learoyd told the meeting the council was “greenwashing”, saying it would never achieve net zero because of the number of energy-from-waste incinerators in the borough which already exist, along with plans for another at the Teesworks site.
He told me that council officers and councillors “were never serious about their climate commitments.
“The same weekend before ditching its target the council was busy greenwashing, posting on its website and social media how serious it was about the climate crisis while simultaneously supporting a 450,000 tonne incinerator.”
Teesside stories you may have missed…
🚂 Work to replace the bridge at South Bank rail station has begun
💷 TVCA has eight employees on six-figure salaries
🏛️ Hartlepool Council has found 840 people wrongfully claiming discounts on Council Tax
It’s been a busy week at The Lead’s national title.
Beloved broadcaster Chris Packham wrote a piece calling on MPs to ban fossil fuel advertising.
And to mark one year of Labour in government, our Westminster editor, Zoë Grünewald, has got out her big red marker to score Starmer et al on their first twelve months in power.
Click the links to read PART ONE, and PART TWO of Zoë’s assessement.
Government ignores Ben Houchen
On this week’s BBC Radio Tees phone-in, Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen made a startling claim - he had written to Wes Streeting 13 times - THIRTEEN TIMES - and only received one response from his department in which an offer was made to set up a meeting with a junior minister.
He was being asked by a caller about his election pledge to build a new hospital to replace North Tees hospital in Stockton. The day after making the pledge, the then-Conservative government told me in no uncertain terms he didn’t have the powers to deliver his promise.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Teesside Lead to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.