Woman who withheld council tax in climate protest faces losing home
Jane McCarthy, 74, said she made the decision after becoming increasingly fearful about the impact of climate breakdown on future generations, particularly when she learned about climate tipping points at a local meeting.
'I think that was the point at which I realised, oh my goodness, this is really urgent, really serious.'
McCarthy, who has terminal cancer, said she did not take the decision to withhold the money from Buckinghamshire council lightly but said it was a matter of principle as the council continued to invest in fossil fuels through its pension fund and by using Barclays Bank.
'I really object having to hand money over knowing that it's going to be used in ways that are reckless, that are damaging my children's chances of a livable future, let alone my grandchildren,' she said
McCarthy appeared at Reading county court earlier this month, resulting in a final charge order on her home, leading to fears the council could force her to sell up to repay the debt.
'It has been very stressful but for me it was a matter of conscience and also as a matter of conscientious objection, because fossil fuels are the cause of so much war as well as driving the climate crisis.'
UK pensions invest about £88bn in fossil fuels, which campaigners warn is helping drive the climate breakdown. Experts also warn such investments put pension savings at risk because those investments will either become stranded if countries meet their emissions targets, or runaway climate breakdown will wreak havoc with the global economy and wipe out any potential returns.
Campaigners are hoping that the pension schemes bill currently going through parliament will change the way pension funds are managed, ensuring pension trustees take relevant system level risks, including climate change into account, when deciding where to invest.
Claire Brinn, senior UK policy manager at the ShareAction campaign, said there was a 'lack of clarity' over trustees' legal and moral obligations when investing funds at the moment.
'This creates uncertainty for trustees over the legal scope for taking into account systemic considerations, whether macroeconomic or environmental, or even their members' living standards and views.'
She said clarifying this 'fiduciary duty' would be a 'a simple legislative change that will empower pension funds to consider people and planet and secure our future prosperity and security.'
McCarthy says her debt to the council now stands at about £5,000 including costs. She said she would be more than happy to pay the withheld tax to local charities or good causes.
Sign up to Down to Earth
The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential
after newsletter promotion
'I do want to pay it … I would love to just talk to the council about what charities I could support in Buckinghamshire but I am sure that is very unlikely, a fantasy.'
She added: 'For them to apply for the sale when it's only a debt of about £5,000 feels so disproportionate but that is what could happen.'
Robert Carington, Buckinghamshire council's cabinet member for resources, said it was 'duty bound' to collect tax to pay for essential public services.
'While the council acknowledges the personal views held in this case, they do not constitute a valid reason for not paying council tax. Payment of council tax, like any other tax, is not a personal choice. People are legally bound to pay it and the council has a legal duty to recover council tax. We are therefore pleased that the court has found in the council's favour and that this matter has been brought to a conclusion.'
He added that the council was committed to a 'greener future' and its pension fund investments were only in projects or corporations that had set a target 'to be net zero by 2050 at the latest'.
The council declined to say what it planned to do next in its efforts to recover the withheld tax.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
OBR boss denies forecast drove welfare cut proposals
The Chancellor could have met her fiscal rules without proposing £5 billion worth of welfare cuts, the head of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has said. Richard Hughes rejected the suggestion that the OBR's forecast was now driving policy, saying it was up to chancellors to decide how much headroom they wanted against their targets. In March 2025, it was reported that Rachel Reeves had expanded planned cuts to welfare shortly before her spring statement after the OBR forecast the Government's previous proposals would not save as much money as thought. That enabled her to maintain the £9.9 billion of headroom against her debt target that she set out in her October 2024 budget. But it also prompted an outcry from Labour backbenchers, leading to the Government dropping most of the proposals in order to avoid its first Commons defeat. Appearing before the Commons Treasury Committee on Tuesday ahead of his proposed reappointment as the OBR's chairman, Mr Hughes denied that changes in the OBR forecast had driven the proposed welfare changes. He said: 'I don't really accept the characterisation that it was changes in our forecast that forced the Government to make any particular sort of policy decision. 'Back in March, the Government decided to make £5 billion worth of welfare savings. They had £10 billion worth of headroom against their fiscal rule. They could have settled for five.' Mr Hughes went on to characterise the decision on welfare, which has now been largely reversed, as 'an entirely political choice' and added Ms Reeves could also have decided to break or change her fiscal rules. Asked about a perception that the forecast was now driving policy, he said: 'Chancellors can make a point about how much headroom they want against their fiscal rules. Recently they have left themselves very little.' Mr Hughes also pushed back against criticism from the Prime Minister, who had complained to the Commons Liaison Committee in April that the OBR's forecast had not included the effect of the Government's welfare reforms on employment. He said the Government had failed to provide enough detail on the employment support programme for it to be included, saying: 'There were no specifics. 'They couldn't tell us who was going to benefit from this programme, which groups, what kind of support they were going to get. 'There was no policy for us to score in our forecast.' A series of U-turns on the Government's welfare proposals at the start of July have left the Chancellor looking for another £5 billion in savings or tax rises if she wishes to maintain the headroom against her debt target she had last year. Ms Reeves is also likely to face a further squeeze thanks to a weakening economy and a commitment to partially reverse cuts to the winter fuel allowance.
Daily Mail
21 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
New 'Tell Sid'-style drive to get people investing revealed by Rachel Reeves in 'Leeds reforms'
The Government has launched a drive to encourage more ordinary people to start investing in a package of reforms to boost economic growth. A new consumer campaign will lay out the long term benefits of investing for better returns, rather than keeping savings in cash. Banks will nudge customers with large cash balances to consider investing instead. Rachel Reeves revealed the plan today ahead of her Mansion House speech, in an echo of the 1980s 'Tell Sid' campaign around the privatisation of British Gas that is held up as a successful drive to engage the public with the stock market. A much feared cut to the £20,000 annual cash Isa limit was not announced, though the Government says it will continue to consider ways to strike the right balance between cash savings and investment. The 'Leeds reforms', unveiled in the West Yorkshire city by the Chancellor include reforming the bank ring-fencing regime and reducing burdensome regulation in the City. The changes will reintroduce 'informed risk-taking' into the financial system, and 'represent the widest set of reforms to financial services for more than a decade', says the Government. The new measures are intended to help drive increased levels of investment among both financial firms and individuals. The Treasury said the ring-fencing regime - which was brought in after the 2008 financial crisis to separate banks' retail and investment banking activities - will be reformed. Economic Secretary Emma Reynolds will lead a review into balancing between growth and stability - including protecting customers' deposits. The UK is a global outlier in enforcing ring-fencing, and major banks have been divided over whether the system is necessary to protect savers or is overly burdensome. The Treasury said it was backing regulatory reforms for mid-sized banks to free up money for lending and investment. It also plans to cut layers of red tape for businesses in the City. This will see the UK's Financial Ombudsman Service - which settles complaints between consumers and businesses - watered down and simplified to address backlogs in the system. There will also be an accelaration of changes to the senior managers regime, which was also brought in after the 2008 crisis to vet individuals before they are appointed and hold them accountable for problems and risk-taking. Meanwhile, efforts to encourage more individuals to invest rather than keep savings in cash include rolling out 'targeted support' from April next year. This will involve banks alerting customers with cash sitting in low-return current accounts about investment opportunities. Major banks and financial firms including Barclays, Lloyds, Vanguard and Hargreaves Lansdown are backing a new advertising campaign highlighting the benefits of investing. Reeves told finance chiefs, when setting out the reforms in Leeds: 'We are fundamentally reforming the regulatory system, freeing up firms to take risks and to drive growth. The 'much-needed' measures are intended to 'really invigorate our financial services sector, but with the core purpose of therefore reinvigorating the whole economy,' she said. Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the planned retail investor campaign would act as a loudspeaker to amplify the message about the opportunity investing can offer. 'It will be important to stress the value that investing can bring to support crucial life events and retirement planning. 'A reinvented 'Tell Sid' campaign, which shows how investment is helping people with their long-term needs like retirement, will build confidence and pave the way for greater participation in financial markets.' The famous 'Tell Sid' adverts encouraged people to buy shares in British Gas when it was privatised in the 1980s.
BBC News
23 minutes ago
- BBC News
'I belong to nobody, my wife belong to my kitchen and di oda room' - Some popular quotes of Buhari wen e bin dey office
Former president Muhammadu Buhari die on 13 July for one hospital in London. Nigerians dey mourn di death of di ex-president wey serve di kontri twice in 1984-1985 as military general and serve as democratic elected president for eight years 2015- 2023. Wit so much excitement in di faces of di pipo, Nigeria former president Buhari finally win di presidential seat in 2015, afta three attempts. During im inaugural speech im promise to fight corruption and restore di Nigeria economy. During im eight-year tenure hia na some of di funny and popular comments im make during im time for office. Lazy Nigerian youths Many pipo bin criticise dis comment wey Buhari make during im appearance wit world leaders for one Commonwealth Business Forum in London in April 2018. E say: "More dan 60 percent of di population dey below 30, a lot of dem no go school and dem dey claim say Nigeria na oil producing kontri, therefore, dem go sit and do nothing, and get housing, healthcare, education for free" Di late President bin don make similar comments for one interview wit di UK Telegraph, wia e tok say most of di Nigerians youths wey dey seek asylum for di UK na di lazy ones wey dey disposed to criminality and say make di UK goment no dey grant dem asylum dia. Pipo start to dey trend di hashtag #LazyNigerianYouths on social media to show dia works and protest against wetin di President tok. I belong to evribody and to nobody Buhari bin tok dis one during im swearing in as president in 2015, for di Eagle Square for Abuja. E tok dis one to clarify say im no go look anybodi face for im fight against corruption, no matter di region wia di pesin come from. "I intend to keep my oath and serve as President to all Nigerians. I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody," e tok dat time. My wife belong to my kitchen... and di oda room During one joint confrence wit di former German Chancellor, Angela Merkel for Germany in 2016, former president Buhari bin dey ansa question from one tori pesin wey ask am which political party wey im wife belong. Dis question na sake of interview wey Aisha Buhari bin grant BBC News Hausa wia she claim say some cabal don hijack Buhari govment, and say Buhari no know many of di pipo wey dey serve for top positions for di kontri. As di tori pesin ask di question, Buhari respond say: "I no know which party my wife belong to, but she belong to my kitchen and my living room and di oda room." Baba go slow Buhari tok dis during one meeting wit di Nigerian community for di United States of America during di 73rd United Nations General Assembly for New York. Buhari bin tok say im adminstration go keep dia promises to di pipo depsite say opposition dey accuse am of moving slowly to fight corruption. "Dem dey call me Baba Go Slow. Pipo wey dey go fast, wia dem go?" e tok dat time as di audience burst out laff. Corruption na cancer For 2016, wen Nigeria dey celebrate dia 56th idependence day, Buhari bin tok say corruption na cancer charging all judiciary make dem fight am. E say: "Corruption na cancer wey we must fight wit all di weapons for our disposal. E dey destroy every fabric of goment and destroy society. "Fighting corruption na key, no be to only restore di moral health of di nation, but also e go free di plenti resources wey we get for urgent socio-economic development." Jubril of Sudan In 2018, one rumor start to dey fly around say di main Buhari don die, and say di pesin wey dey rule Nigeria na one clone wey look like Buhari but di pesin real name na Jubril from Sudan. During one visit to Poland, Buhari as e dey address di Nigerian community for dat kontri address di rumour as e tok say e still dey alive. ''Na real me (be dis), I assure you. I go soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I still dey go strong," Buhari tok. "Pipo bin hope say I go die during my sickness. Some even reach out to di Vice-President to consider dem to be im deputy becos dem assume say I go die."
