County Council to reconsider Cumbria coal mine

Cumbria County Council to reconsider coal mine permission following ‘new information.’ 

Cumbria council granted planning permission to the coalmine last October, and last month Robert Jenrick, the communities and local government secretary decided not to ‘call-in’ the mine for a central government decision.

However, the council has now announced that new information on the government’s carbon budgets had forced a rethink.

The Committee on Climate Change recently wrote to Robert Jenrick to warn that the mine would produce more emissions than any other in the UK, and would give ‘a negative impression of the UK’s climate priorities’ as the government prepares to host a vital UN climate summit, Cop26, this November in Glasgow.

Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Tony Bosworth said: ‘Cumbria County Council is right to review its decision – allowing this climate-wrecking coal mine to go-ahead would completely undermine UK leadership ahead of this year’s vital climate summit.

‘Quite simply there is no place for new coal extraction in the middle of a climate emergency.

‘It’s time to leave coal in the ground and focus on fast-tracking a green industrial revolution. This will bring the new jobs and business opportunities that are needed in communities everywhere, including Cumbria.’

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