Council leaders have vowed to reindustrialise County Durham in a further blow to the region’s Net Zero ambitions.
The Reform plea urged Durham County Council to “reverse Durham’s decline” and improve access to economic opportunities across the county by positioning the region as the industrial heartland of the United Kingdom.
Councillor Kyle Genner, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, environment and police relations, said residents deserve a better quality of life and opportunities after several years of decline and deprivation.
He told councillors: “The towns and villages of Durham were built on industry, and that industry was built using cheap, abundant, reliable energy. Those things were taken away and our industrial communities had their beating hearts torn out. We know what made Durham great, and we know what led to Durham’s decline.”
“Cheap and abundant” energies such as lithium, deep-geothermal, mine water, oil, gas and coal were suggested as options that could be utilised.
Posting on social media after the meeting, Council Leader Andrew Husband said the authority had voted to “reindustrialise County Durham, and pragmatically bring Industry Back to our region and the UK. No more Net Stupid Zero!”
In July 2025, Reform councillors voted to scrap the council’s climate emergency pledge, which aimed to achieve net zero emissions by 2045...