Reading in these pages the bickering between various councillors about responsibility for our borough council’s financial predicament, I am left wondering whether we have the leadership necessary for Woking Borough Council to tackle the most important issue of our time – climate change.

Woking Borough Council (WBC) was once at the vanguard of responses to climate change – it was early to declare a climate emergency (2019) and took the issue seriously enough to commission a detailed report in 2022 on pathways to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

But where is climate change in the current debate? Reducing WBC’s emissions does not fall squarely within any of the statutory services to be maintained. But deep amongst the proposed cuts detailed in this newspaper is a proposal to “review of staffing structure because of the reduction in discretionary services. This includes climate change work...”.

Should we just expect that decarbonising the ThamesWey energy centres is to be quietly shelved? Will upgrading lighting and other appliances at WBC sites be relegated to a wishlist? 

Both these will save us money in the long term. 

And what of the staff at WBC whose jobs are currently under threat? Will there be any left with responsibility for tackling this fundamental issue?

Local politicians of all stripes have at times burnished their green credentials. 

Might they now put aside the bickering and start to work out how we contribute to the fight against climate breakdown even in these difficult times?

James Gordon,

Stewart Close,

Woking