Former mayor says coalmine decision 'disappointing'

Former elected mayor for Copeland Mike Starkie said the government had "let down" the people of west Cumbria

A former mayor said the government's announcement it will not defend a decision, made by the previous government, to allow a new coalmine in Cumbria was "disappointing".

Mike Starkie, a former Conservative mayor of Copeland, made the comments after the new Labour government said it would not be defending two legal challenges against the mine in Whitehaven, Cumbria.

The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government said there had been an "error of law" in the decision to approve the mine in 2022.

BBC News has contacted West Cumbria Mining, the company behind the proposed mine, for comment. It previously said the mine would create hundreds of jobs.

Mr Starkie said west Cumbria "needed" projects like the coalmine, which would be the UK’s first deep coal mine in more than 30 years.

"It's been tremendous that the investors have stuck with it as long as what they have and it's disappointing, although not surprising, the position that the government have taken," he said.

'Let down'

Former Conservative Secretary of State Michael Gove gave permission for the mine near Whitehaven in 2022.

However, on Thursday, the new Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, said there was an “error of law” in the decision to grant the planning permission.

Therefore the government said it would not defend the mine from two upcoming legal challenges by environmental groups, and it told the court that the decision to grant planning permission should be quashed.

Speaking after the announcement, Mr Starkie said: "They've been in power less than a week and it's took them less than a week to let down the people of west Cumbria.

"The benefits it [the mine] will bring to west Cumbria and the people of west Cumbria are huge."

The legal challenges regarding the climate impact of the mine will be heard at the High Court in London next week, but the government's decision throws into doubt whether the coalmine will ultimately get the go-ahead.