Bill Edgar

Reform UK councillors have condemned the approval on appeal of two large solar farms at Craghead near Stanley and Haswell Plough in County Durham, after Durham County Council’s planning committee rejected both schemes. The party says the decisions undermine local democracy and risk turning the county into a dumping ground for industrial-scale energy developments. The approvals form part of wider efforts to meet the Government’s 2030 clean-power targets, while several other solar projects in County Durham have also been approved despite council objections. Reform’s local administration has separately abandoned the council’s climate emergency pledge, removed plans for solar panels on council buildings and opposed further purchases of electric vehicles.