Council called 'woke' for nature protection plans

A council's plans to protect and restore green spaces has been approved despite being labelled "woke" by opposition politicians.

Darlington Borough Council has declared a Nature Restoration Emergency to improve the area's depleted wildlife over the next 15 years.

Green Party councillor Kate Mammolotti said developing the plan would be a "win for nature".

But local Conservative leader Jonathan Dulston said the council should focus on improving people's lives and criticised the local authority for using its stretched resources on "areas that will make very little difference".

Under the council's plans, it will develop a Nature Restoration Action Plan, which will aim to improve the borough's green spaces by 2040.

It will mean areas of depleted wildlife will receive extra protection through the council's proposals and decisions, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Labour councillor Chris McEwan said the council should "lead by example" by including targeted and site-appropriate measures on council-owned land and communal areas.

But Dulston described the motion as "daft" and said he was concerned it showed the local authority was not aligned with the public.

"We are a small council, a relatively small town, but we have lots of people facing inequalities," he said.

"The full resources of the council need to be focused on that, not pie-in-the-sky green and woke agendas."

Labour's Mary Layton said the plans were not "woke" but would underpin everything the council did for the future of the town.

Darlington Green Party leader Matthew Snedker said the motion had been made at a crucial time.

"We need to strengthen the protection for wildlife and restore our precious natural environment," he said.

"Right now, there is significant pressure from house builders and landowners to water down the protections for our natural world."

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