Labour Leader of Cambridge City Council, Cllr Lewis Herbert has expressed his party’s disappointment at the overnight vandalism of Alex Wood Hall, claimed earlier today as the action of Extinction Rebellion Cambridge and Extinction Rebellion Youth Cambridge on their Facebook page.

“We’re really disappointed to see this act of vandalism, especially when we have a clear record of action on reducing carbon emissions in Cambridge. As a party we remain committed to open, constructive dialogue and working together to find the best way to tackle the climate emergency.

 

“Alex Wood Hall is not only used by the Cambridge Labour Party but also a local charity supporting vulnerable individuals – our first thought has been to make sure that the building is usable and secure for them.

 

“We’d also like to thank our neighbours for their words of support, including those whose own cars were needlessly damaged. From the messages we’ve received it’s clear that Extinction Rebellion don’t represent the majority of Cambridge residents – or the many committed and excellent climate activists we have here in the city.

 

‘All parties here in Cambridge agree that we face a climate and biodiversity emergency, and that we must work towards being carbon neutral by 2030.

 

“We are fully committed to tackling climate change. We now source 100% the council’s energy from renewable sources, we’ve reduced our carbon emissions by almost 30% since taking control of the council, and we’ve also invested heavily in making our council homes and swimming pools more energy efficient. There’s lots more to do of course, and that’s what we’ll be focusing on now – the job we were elected to do, which is looking after the city of Cambridge.

Labour have also called on all members of the council to publicly condemn the action. The incident has been reported to police, and CCTV footage of those responsible has been handed over.