In a shock move, Laura Coppin, who was in charge of communications on environmental issues for Rother District Council (RDC), resigned and accused the council of a “greenwash”.
Laura accuses RDC of “climate inaction” and in a stinging attack said, “It has become abundantly clear to me at my time working for RDC that the climate emergency declaration in 2019 was made to garner public favour without the intention to pursue the systemic changes required to reach the council’s own 2030 targets.”
Laura accuses the council of awarding contracts that “actively degrade the environment” and her most damning criticism is that Rother’s declaration of a ‘climate emergency’ was a cynical ploy saying, “The council is a not even doing the bare minimum of measuring it’s consumption or emissions, let alone taking steps to reduce and mitigate them. Individual departments have no reporting or measurement requirements, and no roadmaps for how they will ensure the council achieves its climate commitments.”
Laura’s resignation letter (full transcript below) throws into question RDC’s earlier commitment to installing electric vehicle (EV) charging points in its car parks. The roll out of EV charging points was meant to be a priority for the council, with the possibility that some would be operational by the end of 2021.
At a stakeholder meeting in February 2020, RDC’s environment and policy manager, Dr Kristina Sodomkova, was upbeat about the plan to install EV charging points, having identified the locations, potential commercial partners, and funding streams. All that was missing, it would seem, was backing from RDC via their regular cabinet meetings. Rye News understands that it was finally discussed at RDC’s Cabinet in May 2021 as part of their environmental strategy update though it seems highly unlikely that EV charging points will be installed by the end of 2021.
Hugh Kermode from RyEV Experiment, a group set up earlier in the year to assist and advice businesses and individuals in Rye who are looking to install EV charging points said, “Obviously RDC have lots of important things on their plate, but providing EV charging points is one of them - and they have made a commitment.”
Laura Coppin’s resignation letter has exposed a deep rift at the heart of RDC's climate crisis declaration. Rye News approached RDC to comment on Laura's accusations and we have included their response after the resignation letter below.
Laura’s resignation letter:
I have resigned from my role with RDC due to climate inaction and greenwashing. My full resignation letter is below as I believe it's the public's right to know that their futures are being pushed aside in favour of short term profit.
To whom it may concern,
I write to you to announce my immediate resignation from my role with Rother District Council, as I feel my work is being used to aid in greenwashing and to help distract from the meaningful changes required to address the climate emergency – changes which both East Sussex County Council and Rother District Council are refusing to make even in the face of irrefusable science.
It has become abundantly clear to me in my time working for RDC that the climate emergency declaration in 2019 was made to garner public favour without the intention to pursue the systemic changes required to reach the Council’s own 2030 targets.
Whilst evidence of this has been mounting throughout my time in the role, being forwarded a FOI request for the Council’s carbon emissions showed that the Council is not even doing the bare minimum of measuring its consumption or emissions, let alone taking steps to reduce and mitigate them. Individual departments have no reporting or measurement requirements, and no roadmaps for how they will ensure the Council achieves its climate commitments.
Contracts which are actively degrading the environment have not been reviewed, with the Council having no intention to do so, and commitments (such as building electric vehicle infrastructure and buying electric Council vehicles) are already being backtracked on with vague mentions as to the cost involved.
The cost of not making these changes is quite literally the future of our planet.
Developers are still being given permission to fell ancient, irreplaceable trees and changes to the planning system are being presented both internally and externally as solutions to the crisis despite containing the same loopholes that have enabled wanton destruction of our green spaces and biodiversity. Profit is still being prioritised, no matter the cost or the Council’s public proclamations.
Despite Kristina’s role being specifically outlined as facilitatory (ie specifically NOT being responsible for delivering the Environment Strategy), I have watched as she works exhaustively without the Council’s full support to be one of the only people within the Council trying to deliver the projects needed to fulfil it.
To not only fail to provide proper internal support for what few projects are being pursued to protect the environment, but to censor reports of the very real barriers to meaningfully delivering both the requirements of mine and Kristina’s roles and the Environment Strategy itself and then push for a press release to celebrate the Council’s environmental achievements has appalled me, and I cannot in good conscience deliver any more work to help deceive the public into believing that meaningful climate action is taking place.
Fossil fuel companies and other organisations and governments guilty of ecocide have spent decades carefully constructing narratives putting fault and responsibility at the feet of individual consumers, not the 100 companies who are responsible for 70% of all emissions. Both ESCC and RDC support this narrative, and have made encouraging individual recycling a priority without informing residents that most plastic never gets recycled, and is simply shipped abroad to be dumped or burnt.
The Council also has persisted in spraying known carcinogen, pesticide, herbicide, and poison Glyphosate on our streets and green spaces, poisoning the soil and killing plants and wildlife, even when residents have requested they stop and offered to manage weeds themselves.
I had a moment of hope following the Carbon Literacy Training, as it seemed as though being presented with the very real science of the threat we face would be a wakeup call. Instead, despite almost two years of inaction it was defended as ‘a start’ and attendees have been handheld through the accreditation process, giving them a badge of credibility that will enable them to further deceive the public into believing that appropriate action is being taken.
I will not be delivering the strategy document I have created, and I will not be charging for the days I have spent creating it. I do not believe it would be put to proper use. I do not believe that the public should trust any organisation that does not have their best interests at heart.
I came into this role (after initial resistance) with high hopes, having been assured by local environmental groups that despite the Council’s history Kristina was trying to create real change. I am saddened and disappointed that the council hasn’t seen fit to support her in this.
I hope the Council will rethink its direction for all our sakes, though I fear they will only do so if the public leaves them no other choice.
Yours disappointedly,
Laura Coppin
Rother District Council comment
A Rother District Council spokesman said: “We do not discuss staffing issues.
“Rother District Council takes its responsibilities extremely seriously, which is why councillors set the ambitious target of becoming a carbon neutral authority by 2030 – 20 years ahead of the national target. We have already started to make changes that will contribute to this including changes to buildings, such as the addition of solar panels, new energy efficient windows and roofs, the use of a 100% renewable energy supplier for our electricity and a gas supplier with offset certificates. As we come out of the pandemic, we are also seeking to carry on having staff work from their homes for at least part of the week to cut down on travel, and have initiated schemes to encourage greener travel.
“Whilst we still have a long way to go, it’s important to recognise that the significant changes to working practise and contracts that will help us reach our target take time to implement and need to be made in line with legislation, particularly relating to contracts. The targets set out in our environmental strategy are regularly monitored to ensure that we are taking every possible step to become a carbon neutral authority.
“Our climate change steering group meets regularly to review the council’s progress and identify policies and strategies that require amendment. These meetings are open to the public and the group is keen to identify residents across Rother who can become climate champions for their communities and help implement initiatives locally.”
