Cllr Ryan Jude

A CITY council meeting descended into a shouting match and jeers after a motion declaring an “ecological emergency” was passed.

Rival councillors booed and taunted each other at the full council meeting last Wednesday after the Labour administration passed a motion about improving the ecosystem in Westminster, with green projects, better recycling rates, and that city council buildings are equipped with renewable energy technology.

The Conservative opposition claimed the plans were “waffle” and another example of a theme emerging in Westminster of Labour talking a good game but failing to deliver.

Cllr Jim Glen said: “This strategy proposed has an awful lot of audits, work groups, discussions, bureaucracy, and cost without actually delivering on anything or proposing anything new.

“There seems to be a theme developing for this administration: there is an awful lot of talk and very little action except for the hollow virtue-signalling and that is why, unless the following speakers are remarkably persuasive, we will be abstaining from this matter.”

The motion was passed during a rowdy session of voting that saw Labour councillors taunt opposition members to have a “brave soul” and back the measures.

The council’s deputy cabinet member – climate action and biodiversity, Cllr Ryan Jude, accused the Conservatives of failing to meet manifesto pledges to plant 2,000 trees when they were in power.

He said: “Issues such as this should be above party politics. I am really, really, disappointed and really, really, angry actually. I know the relative lack of actions that’s being committed to previously in this council and in the previous administration.

“I didn’t want to criticise you for that. I wanted us to take a step together and now you don’t want to go down that path with us.”

The Westminster Citizens’ Climate Assembly made its first recommendations to the local authority last week, calling for new green projects, increasing recycling rates, and equipping council buildings with renewable energy technology.