Maidstone Borough Council has become the first in the UK to enshrine the Rights of Nature into statutory council decision-making, taking a historic step towards protecting the environment by granting legal rights to nature, such as rivers, forests, and ecosystems. This groundbreaking move stands in stark contrast to Bath and North East Somerset Council (B&NES), which rejected a similar Rights of Nature motion in September 2024—despite it being developed with the help of renowned environmentalist Paul Powlesland from Lawyers for Nature.
The motion introduced by the Greens sought to give nature legal rights to protect it from harm and ensure that development respects natural ecosystems. However, the Liberal Democrat group in B&NES dismissed it with ridicule, calling it “animism by the backdoor” and wrongly implying that the Greens were trying to impose religious beliefs into the council’s constitution. This deliberate misinterpretation undermined the potential for B&NES to lead on the issue.
In contrast, Maidstone Borough Council has shown how such legal protections can be effectively implemented by integrating the Rights of Nature into its Corporate Strategy, rejecting concerns that the motion was “illegal” or “irrelevant.” By adopting the Rights of Nature, Maidstone has demonstrated that protecting nature is not only legally viable but also an essential response to the climate emergency.
With other councils like Maidstone now moving forward to recognise nature’s legal rights, the question remains: will B&NES continue to miss opportunities to protect nature and drive climate action?