A COUNCIL has been accused of turning a blind eye to the threat of climate change.

The accusation has been levelled at Welwyn Hatfield Council by Lib Dem borough and county councillor Malcolm Cowan.

Cllr Cowan spoke out after his request for the borough council to sign up to the 10:10 climate change campaign “fell on deaf ears”.

The national campaign aims to get individuals, businesses and institutions to reduce their carbon footprint by 10 per cent during 2010.

Hertfordshire County Council has already agreed to sign up to the scheme following a request from Cllr Cowan.

He said: “Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our planet and I am really pleased the county council saw sense and signed up to play their part.

“This is by contrast to Welwyn Hatfield, where the request has fallen on deaf ears.

“I am disappointed that the borough has yet again failed to take real steps to respond to what is a national movement.”

He added: “Residents can sign up to this campaign and there are lots of things that they can do to reduce their carbon footprint and save themselves money in the long term.”

A spokeswoman for Welwyn Hatfield Council defended the authority’s decision not to sign up to 10:10.

She said: “The council is constantly looking at ways to reduce its CO2 emissions and will continue to do so.

“However, this needs to be in the context of an overall strategy and not a reaction to an individual campaign.”