A woman who withheld council tax payments for three years in protest at her local authority’s continued investment in fossil fuels fears losing her home.
Jane McCarthy, 74, said she decided on the protest 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,” she said.
McCarthy, who has terminal cancer, said she had not taken the decision lightly but it was a matter of principle as Buckinghamshire 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 that 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,” she said.
UK pensions invest about £88bn in fossil fuels, which campaigners warn is helping drive the climate breakdown. Experts also say 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 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, a 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 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.
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“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 said. “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,” he said. “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 said 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.
