STORY
Torfaen County Borough Council’s leader has defended spending on climate change and decarbonisation schemes after being challenged by Reform UK over local priorities. Labour council leader Anthony Hunt said the authority had also spent a record amount on road repairs and resurfacing, after Reform councillor David Thomas argued that residents were more concerned about roads and anti-social behaviour.
The exchange came after Thomas asked for a breakdown of spending on climate, decarbonisation, equality, diversity and inclusion programmes. Hunt said the largest sum was just over £2 million for climate and decarbonisation work, much of it funded by grants that could not simply be diverted elsewhere.
Hunt said support from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund had helped 38 community groups cut energy use and save around £200,000 a year in costs. He said technologies such as solar panels and battery storage were already saving some community organisations hundreds or thousands of pounds each month.