Lancaster: Bishop welcomes inquiry into deep coal mine plan

Photo by Taton Moïse on Unsplash

The Bishop of Lancaster, Rt Rev Paul Swarbrick has welcomed the Secretary of State for Local Government's decision to hold a public inquiry into plans for the UK's first deep coal mine in 30 years at Whitehaven, Cumbria....

Bishop Swarbrick said: "I welcome the decision to call a public inquiry regarding the proposal to open a deep mine at Whitehaven.

"The issue seems to have a double context. Firstly, a local context in terms of local economy. The obvious second context is global climate change (GCC).

"Existing Government policies will inform the public enquiry, as will the scientific evidence regarding GCC. Scientific evidence has been a leading factor and decision-advisor throughout the Government's pandemic strategies.

"It is necessary to establish what weight is given to science in this public enquiry, particularly as balanced against considerable social and economic factors."

Doug Parr, chief scientist Greenpeace UK welcomed the enquiry. He told the BBC: "It should never have taken this long for the coal mine to be called in - the case for it was untenable from the start. But this is certainly fantastic news and definitely better late than never.

"The government may have just about saved its blushes, so long as the mine is canned. But with plans still to expand airports and a green homes programme left in ruins, there's a long way to go before Boris Johnson can truly have the full credibility required of a man hosting vital climate talks later this year."