“Reform Councillors are a loud minority standing on very thin ice (which is getting thinner as it gets hotter).”
By Paul Atkin, Greener Jobs Alliance
The increased number of Reform-run councils reversing climate emergency declarations and rowing back on limited but essential climate mitigation and adaptation measures should not be confused with popular support for them on this issue; even in areas where they have won with a landslide.
Friends of the Earth have produced a very useful study of popular opinion – and the key environmental/climate issues – for every local authority in England. You can find yours by typing your postcode into the home page here.
An example is Thurrock, where Reform won 45 seats out of 49 in May, but:
- 71% of people are worried about the climate crisis
- 60% think it should be a government priority
- and 75% support renewable energy.
This concern is also reflected among existing Reform voters nationally, almost twice as many of whom would back a solar farm over fracking as the best way to create energy in their local area when forced to pick between the two (43:23%). The figures for voters in general are even more strongly opposed to Reform policy, with 60% choosing solar over 10% choosing fracking.
Back in Thurrock, there are serious climate and environmental issues affecting people’s everyday lives that any council will have to address; however you label them:
- 52% of homes are poorly insulated
- 100% of neighbourhoods have air quality below WHO standards, reflecting poor local public transport, non existing cycling infrastructure and too few public EV chargers
- 54,480 people are at extreme risk of flooding
- only 28% of household waste is recycled
- and 89% of neighbourhoods have less than 20% tree cover
Every other Reform dominated area will have a similar, but specific, profile and this is an area of political vulnerability for them.
Check out your own local authority, gain strength from the knowledge that Reform Councillors are a loud minority standing on very thin ice (which is getting thinner as it gets hotter) and think about how to campaign on the key problems, and who else to do it with.
- This article was originally published by the Greener Jobs Alliance on 3 June 2026.
- Paul Atkin is the editor of the Greener Jobs Alliance. You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter/X.
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