Scrapping Durham solar panel scheme is 'grotesque waste of money'

Opposition councillors continue to question Reform UK-led Durham County Council’s decision to scrap plans for solar panels on buildings throughout the region. 

A special scrutiny meeting, organised by political rivals to debate the decision, was told that the council faced reputational damage after withdrawing from the scheme agreed by the former administration. 

But Reform denied the criticism and argued it was not financially sustainable in the short term. 

The decarbonisation scheme initially proposed installing solar panels on council buildings, including the Durham Gala Theatre and Louisa leisure centre in Stanley, but was scrapped by the new administration in September. 

Yet, Liberal Democrat councillor Mark Wilkes, who has led the opposition’s campaign to keep the solar project, argued that the council’s cabinet members had not considered the extent of the move. 

Speaking at the special committee meeting, Cllr Wilkes said: “Thousands of pounds have already been spent on this scheme, and if the cabinet refuses to reconsider its decision, all that money will have been wasted.

"As these costs are clearly not in the report, I am not convinced that they have properly considered this grotesque waste of taxpayers’ money, nor any likely costs for compensation of ending this scheme with the contractor. 

“We have to make sure that we are not reputationally damaging our council and making it harder to secure contractors for future development schemes.”

Council officers confirmed there are ongoing discussions with its contractors about ending the scheme, which are subject to legal privilege. Cllr Wilkes previously said the scheme would have saved the local authority £77,000 per year.

However, Reform leaders reiterated the party’s pledge to prioritise care services over net zero projects.

Darren Grimes, cabinet member for finance, said: “Shelving this tranche was prudence, not ideology.

"We have put the funding over care over kudos. In the last administration, there were far too many people who cared about getting awards, calling themselves ‘green champions’, over being county champions for the residents of County Durham.

“We’re talking about bankable savings right now for the authority so that we can better deliver for the residents of County Durham’s priorities that we were tasked with getting on with as an administration. 

“I am loud and proud in my ambition to do just that.”

The deputy leader of the council also said the party’s election victory in May showed the public’s unhappiness with the former Joint Administration in charge of the council. 

A plea backed by cross-party opposition councillors to defer the decision to a subcommittee for councillors to examine the business case was not approved. 

Cllr Grimes added: “The residents of County Durham gave our group the mandate for change because they weren’t happy with the way things were under the last administration.

"I have an aversion to the risk we are asking our ratepayers to take on, who are already some of the most struggling, hard-working, deprived areas of our whole country.”