“WE are being led by dinosaurs” - that’s the message from Extinction Rebellion after the group demonstrated outside the council offices last night to call for faster action on climate change.

Last summer, councillors at Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) pledged to eradicate the council’s net contribution to climate change by 2050 by developing action plans to tackle the issue.

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But campaigners from the Bracknell branch of environmental protest group last night called on BFC to make sure Bracknell Forest becomes carbon neutral by 2025.

Other demands included:

  • BFC to declare a climate emergency
  • Working with the government to provide resources to meet the 2025 target
  • Report back to full council within six months with the actions the council will take

Speaking after joining demonstrators on Market Street, Claire Hawkins told councillors: “The climate emergency is the defining issue of our time.

"Australia is on fire. Indonesia is drowning. Africa has been devastated by drought.

"This is happening now.

Bracknell News:

“We are looking to you. Councillors - Extinction Rebellion calls on you to give us hope.”

Cllr Paul Bettison, Conservative leader of BFC, responded listing the actions the authority has taken so far in addressing climate change, including adding energy-saving LED lights around the borough, helping residents at Warfield Park to ditch bottled gas and promoting more public transport and cycling use.

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He added: “Bracknell Forest Council is committing itself to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 and therefore is actively working on a new Climate Change strategy.

"We all share your enthusiasm to defend our planet from human-induced climate change, but the difference between a pressure group and an administration is that this council’s administration must set its ambitions within the bounds of realism of delivery.

"We have set ambitious goals and I believe that we will achieve them."

Bracknell News:

Later at the meeting, Labour councillor Mary Temperton asked councillors to say yes to her call to ensure “all future council planning applications include an assessment of their impact on the council’s carbon footprint and include measures to mitigate any increase.”

She said: “The new [action] plan is not yet enforced and is yet to happen. This [motion] was a demonstration that things are being considered at every level.”

Councillors voted against the motion, however, after members questioned whether the policy would leave BFC vulnerable to costly appeals and why the item concerned council-only planning applications.

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BFC planning boss Cllr Chris Turrell, Conservative, said new policies proposed for the council’s local plan, such as ensuring new developments are carbon-neutral, represented a “golden opportunity” to tackle climate change.

He added: “We can look forward to going much further towards zero carbon in the near future, when we have more policies in place. But that time is unfortunately not now.”

After the meeting, Extinction Rebellion representative Isobel Griffiths told the News the council’s response was “extremely disappointing.”

She added: “This is an emergency and yet Bracknell Council are congratulating themselves on changing some lightbulbs in the borough.

“It’s clear Bracknell has yet to get started with a plan.

Bracknell News:

“In this meeting, councillors voted down a proposal to include assessment and mitigation of the carbon impact of new planning applications.

“This is not the action of a council who understand the challenge of reducing carbon emissions and the awful consequences of failing to do that.

“We are being led by dinosaurs.”

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Councillors met on Wednesday, January 15.