Reform leaders have trained their sights on plans for large renewable energy projects which they say could ‘desecrate’ Lincolnshire.
Boston and Skegness MP Richard Tice, Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Andrea Jenykns and Lincolnshire County Council leader Sean Matthews launched a campaign to fight the various proposals, writes the Local Democracy Reporting Agency.
The ‘Lincolnshire Opposes Renewable Eyesores’ (LORE) campaign is taking issue with large solar farms, National Grid’s pylon proposals and battery farms.
Reform claims the agenda is being pushed by ‘eco-zealots’, though renewable energy companies say these plans are urgently needed to mitigate climate change.
Most big energy projects are decided by national government ,, but the trio says they’ll use ‘lawfare’ in the courts to throw up legal barriers.
They have also warned developers they will enact legislative changes if Reform wins the next General Election.
Mr Tice said: “Our message to developers is ‘invest in these schemes at your financial peril.’
“We will use lawfare and legal campaigns to push the envelope as far as we can and dissuade investors.”
Mayor Dame Andrea Jenkyns said: “This many proposals would mean the desecration of Lincolnshire, which has some of the most fertile agricultural land, and is the farming heart of England.
“Why should we put food security at risk?”
She also described net zero carbon emissions targets as a “con” which was placing added pressure on the farming community.
Council leader Sean Matthews said the various proposals would “change the face of Lincolnshire beyond recognition”.
“I will stand in front of bulldozers with residents to slow them down long enough for the next Reform government to stop them,” he said.
“If you invest in these follies, you will lose your money.”
Renewable developers say that more green energy is urgently needed to reduce carbon emissions and prevent a climate catastrophe.
Climate scientists believe urgent cuts are needed to greenhouse gases to stop disaster.
* The Greater Lincolnshire Combined Authority led by Mayor Jenkins has accepted £600,000 of government funding for solar panels.
A GLCCA spokesman said: “This fund is being used in various ways by other mayors including for electric vehicle charging or battery storage. The business and infrastructure board of the GLCCA debated the grant and agreed that they wished to fund solar panels on some public sector buildings across Greater Lincolnshire to reduce costs to the public purse.
“However, the board took a decision that they wanted these panels to be sourced from ethical organisations and from the UK if possible. The GLCCA is now in discussions with the government over the revised project costings, design and time frame.”
