Havering has been given zero marks on a climate change scorecard produced by environmental activists.

Climate Emergency UK gave the borough a zero per cent score for failing to publish a climate change action plan by September last year.

Havering did not respond to a survey sent to every council in the UK by the campaign group, or to a final email from the group offering three weeks to reply.

The council eventually agreed an action plan in November and council leader Damian White said the activists were “wrong” for judging the council by September, describing it as an “arbitrary” date which didn’t reflect the work already done.

Under the agreed plan, the council will be carbon neutral by 2040, a decade ahead of the government’s targets, however it was criticised by opposition councillors for lack of costing and priorities.

In December, protestors demonstrated outside a call-in meeting on the action plan, which Conservative councillors voted to cut short.