Cllr Vince Maple, Leader of the Medway Labour and Co-operative Group, commenting on the conclusion of the Cop26 negotiations, said:

“It is extremely disappointing that this round of diplomatic negotiations hasn’t produced an outcome suitable for tackling the scale of the problem we face globally.

“This Tory government has failed to build international support for sufficiently strong measures. We are still way too far from meeting the target of limiting warming to 1.5C.

“Irresponsible changes to the foreign aid budget and signing an environmentally unfriendly trade deal with Australia has undermined our credibility to be the catalyst for international change on this issue.

“Kicking the can down the road is not good enough. Failing to address this problem today will only add to the costs of doing so in the future. A Labour Party in government at a national and at a local level would confront this problem, rising to the challenge and delivering a better future for all with a green transition for Britain and Medway.”

Cllr Simon Curry, Medway Labour and Co-operative Group Spokesperson for Regeneration, Culture and the Environment added:

“We must do what we can locally to keep on pressuring our leaders to prioritise climate change. This includes supporting positive movements like the Medway Youth Climate Change Movement, and getting involved with local volunteer groups and following Medway’s Eco Hubs.

“I’m proud to represent Medway Labour, the Party that first introduced the idea of a climate emergency to Medway Council. While we’re currently doing all that we can to fight for the future of our area and our planet, there’s only so much we can do from opposition.

“With your support we can win control of Medway Council in 2023. Together we can then create change and put the climate emergency at the heart of everything we do, building a better future for Medway.”