UK100 is a cross-party network of democratically elected local leaders from across the country who work together to share resources and knowledge with its network.
Rother District Council’s democratically elected leaders and cabinet members underwent a formal and accountable process to join UK100. Signing up was discussed at Cabinet in June 2023 when it made the UK100 Net Zero Pledge.
We signed the UK100 pledge as it aligns with the council’s commitments, which we made in 2019 when we declared a Climate Emergency and committed: ‘To do what is within our powers, to make Rother District carbon neutral by 2030, taking into account both production and consumption emissions’. Furthermore, being part of uk100 helps us reach our climate goals as we can draw on the experiences of other councils to help us deliver better outcomes for our residents.
Rother District Climate Change strategy was passed at Full Council on 18th December 2023 and was subject to full public scrutiny in council meetings. Therefore, it is a myth to assert that joining UK100 is undemocratic.
Elected leaders are democratically accountable to their cabinet, the opposition, and the electorate. Our mandate comes from the residents who vote in council elections, with individual strategies subject to public consultation before implementation.
It is incorrect to suggest that it is anti-democratic for elected leaders to access the free resources and peer-based knowledge-sharing the UK100 network offers to support the policy platform on which we were elected.
More information about UK100 and what being a member entails is available on their Frequently Asked Questions webpage.
Published: 30th January 2024
