A Shropshire councillor has signed a pledge calling for urgent action against climate change.
Councillor Kate Halliday, a Labour member for Belle Vue in Shrewsbury, signed a document by the Labour for a Green New Deal group, calling for Britain to be carbon zero by 2030.
The councillor said she hopes to help reduce climate change and create new jobs.
She said she is backing the grassroots Labour activists calling for the Labour Party to adopt a climate policy that aims to make Britain zero carbon by 2030.
She said it involved ”rapidly phasing out all fossil fuels through large-scale investment in renewable energy”.
The pledge also calls on a “transition that provides well-paid, unionised green jobs for all and green public transport that connects Britain”.
She said: “I’m really pleased to be signing the Labour for a Green New Deal pledge. We can reduce climate change and create new jobs at the same time.
“Climate Change is at the height of the agenda, activist groups like the school strikers and Extinction Rebellion have shown the growing desire among the public to reduce our CO2 emissions.
“However, Westminster has been less radical in its response to the issue. In the most recent Government Spending Review, Chancellor Sajid Javid was criticised to allocating only £30 million to efforts to become zero-carbon by 2050, a figure that environmental experts estimate to be around 0.1 per cent of what is needed.
“A Green New Deal would also mean better support for developing countries to transition to more sustainable technologies.
“Similarly, it helps to minimise displacement of people across the world, whilst welcoming refugees.”
Councillor Halliday’s support comes after three of the five Labour Party groups in Shropshire passed the Labour for a Green New Deal Conference Motion.
This motion calls for the Labour Party to adopt the same points included in the pledge signed by Councillor Halliday as policy and will be debated at the Labour Party Conference in Brighton next week.
Sophie Marriott, Media Lead for Shropshire Labour for a Green New Deal added: “Climate Change poses a real threat to Shropshire and the entire world.
“It is fantastic to see grassroots activists, politicians and Labour Party groups taking it seriously.”
