‘It was our little idyll – until the solar farm landed’: the battle raging in the heart of the British countryside

‘It was our little idyll – until the solar farm landed’: the battle raging in the heart of the British countryside In one corner, clean energy champion Ed Miliband. In the other, residents – and Reform politicians – outraged at plans for more large-scale solar farms in Lincolnshire than anywhere else in the UK A s night descends on the grand offices of Lincolnshire county council, everything appears orderly and calm. Paintings of long-forgotten councillors and dignitaries stare out into an empty drawing room. The council chamber is silent and dark. Bored receptionists glance at their phones while a handful of admin staff hunch over glowing screens. But a rebellion is brewing in the office of the council leader, Sean Matthews, who took charge last May, when Reform replaced the Conservative old guard. The affable former royal protection officer is plotting an apparently radical campaign of civil disobedience against a series of giant solar farms planned for Lincolnshire. Despite a quarter of a century in the Metropolitan police, Matthews is willing to break the law to stop solar developers. He is planning to lie down in front of the bulldozers. “They can arrest me – I’ve arrested plenty of people,” he says, leaning forward on a sofa. “It’s much bigger than me and my criminal record. For goodness sake, it’s the future of the county, it’s the future of our land. I am passionate about that and I will do what I can.” He is not the only Lincolnshire cabinet member willing to spend a night or two in the cells. Natalie Oliver, a local business owner who became a Reform councillor last year, is also prepared to defy the police. “I would do anything for my residents … we are 100% committed,” says Oliver, sitting opposite Matthews. “Getting arrested would be a new experience for me, but if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes.” This is the frontline in a fierce political battle over the rollout of mega solar farms, which could shape the future of the UK’s energy transitio...