Derbyshire County Council has pledged its support to an ‘optimistic’ nature recovery plan, however some have criticised its ‘benign’ content for failing to set adequate targets to tackle issues.

In a meeting of full council on Wednesday (2 February), Conservative Councillor Wayne Major, chairman of the climate change scrutiny committee, put forward a motion that sought to to develop a strategy to protect and enhance nature in Derbyshire through measures taken alongside steps to address the climate crisis.

However the county council’s only Green Party member, Councillor Gez Kinsella, said he was ‘hugely disappointed’ by the report, adding that it had been heavily amended prior to full council and effectively rendered ‘benign’.

His concerns were echoed by Liberal Democrat leader Councillor Ed Fordham, who said targets had been removed from the document.

In presenting the report, Coun Major said: “I am very much an optimist that as a human race we need to change the way we interact with the world and change our impact on the world.

“For many years, since the industrial revolution, we have had a linear economy where we extract raw materials, use it and then dispose of it.”

Coun Major said the authority needed to become a ‘circular economy’ reusing materials as much as possible.

He added that the authority also needed to address emissions and other toxins that are released into the air.

The report set out 14 resolutions for the council, these included –

• Support the creation of a Local Nature Recovery Strategy that sits within the national Nature Recovery Network and underpins all planning, development and land management decisions.
• Demonstrate leadership by educating and supporting businesses, communities and the wider public to take action. 
• Continues to support cross departmental resources designated to lead and coordinate the council operations in relation to nature’s recovery.
• Provide training and resources for councillors and council employees about the nature emergency. 

Members voted to approve the motion.

Derbyshire County Council already has a seperate Climate Change Strategy in place, which it is currently working towards.

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