Put solar on roofs not farms, says Reform leader

The leader of a Reform UK-controlled council said solar panels should be installed on warehouses rather than farmland.

Martin Griffiths, who leads North Northamptonshire Council, said putting the panels on good-quality fields was "ridiculous".

He has been setting out his priorities for the authority which now has 40 Reform UK councillors after they ousted the Conservatives in May's election.

He also thinks climate change targets are "holding our country back".

Griffiths is no stranger to the role of leader, having been at the helm of Conservative-controlled Wellingborough Borough Council before it was abolished in 2021.

Having jumped ship from the Tories to Reform UK, he now commands a group with a majority of 12 seats.

Talking to the BBC about his priorities, he said an improvement programme waas under way in the council's planning department.

He said: "I'm determined that we are going to make some progress in that area. It isn't about nimbyism - it's about wanting the very best for our area."

One planning issue that he said he was "keen to address" was solar panels.

He said: "Isn't it interesting that all of these big high-density warehouse developments are coming forward with no solar panels on the roofs?

"It's ridiculous when we're putting solar in good-quality farmland.

"It's something that the developers probably don't want to do because it means that they've got to strengthen roofs, etcetera, but doesn't it make sense?"

He added the issue had come up regularly on the doorstep during campaigning.

Despite being a member of a party that is openly sceptical about the causes of climate change, Griffith insists: "I don't deny climate change, but I think our net zero targets are the things that are really holding our country back, so that's what my group are very, very concerned about.”

The party's much-publicised Doge-style efficiency review is also on the agenda in North Northamptonshire.

Griffiths said it "will include the possibility of bringing in party experts" to scrutinise expenditure and systems at the authority.

He added: "We're not going to pay a penny [for the Doge review] so that's why our officers are fully in support of this."

Helen Harrison, the leader of the Conservative opposition on the council, said: "We will support them when their proposals are in the interests of the people of North Northamptonshire and will constructively challenge them when we believe they are not.

"If the new administration continues to prioritise cost-effective services and our policy of prioritising road repairs, we will support it.

"We will, of course, look at each proposal on its merits."

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