Leader George Finch has promised that Warwickshire County Council will continue "putting more funding and support up in the north" of the county.

His opening address during the full council debate of Reform UK's first council plan doubled down on alterations made to the overarching strategic document in between the public engagement phase and its submission to council.

Large – in some places entire – chunks of commitments were reworded with "direct support, investment and practical help into the towns and neighbourhoods that have been neglected for too long, especially in the north of the county" one of the promises that were not in the initial version.

It saw Cllr Finch strike a very different tone to the one heard during debates on whether Warwickshire should be served by one new county-wide council or north and south unitaries when local government reorganisation kicks in.

Explaining the plan's reference to the north, Cllr Finch told colleagues: "One of the main things for a lot of our councillors is making sure there is fair treatment of the county.

"We have seen for years now that the north has been left behind and I think (we are) putting it first and making sure that we are working at putting more funding and support up in the north, especially in Nuneaton and Bedworth and North Warwickshire in particular.

"What we have seen since being here (is an) imbalance and we want to make sure the north has more support as it does have the most deprived people in Warwickshire, it has worse road conditions.

"We (have been) putting more support and funding that way over the past year which is changing that. Our portfolio holders are working across Warwickshire, making sure all residents are supported, but the north in particular has been forgotten about for years.

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"That is why putting this plan forward emphasises a voice of the people in the north of the county, but not forgetting that there are people in the south of the county."

That mention of the south attracted ironic cheers with Cllr Finch fighting back a smirk as he replied: "This council has been run by southern councillors for a long time now. We have seen what the people of the north have been saying and that's why we're here, to represent those people as well."

Three amendments came forward to Reform's plan with the Green Party requesting that recognition of climate change is put back in alongside a focus on the prioritisation of public transport and active travel in line with the council's current transport plan.

The Liberal Democrats wanted additional focus on things like special educational needs, adult social care and children's mental health on top of the Green requests, also proposing to weave in greater scrutiny of the impact of Reform's cost-cutting drives.

They were both voted down but the Conservatives got their addition in, editing Cllr Finch's introduction to include that "the administration will not be bound by the 2019 and 2025 declaration of climate emergencies", arguing they are "no longer economically sustainable in the short term".

Tory group leader Cllr Adrian Warwick insisted this did not represent a change of heart, rather a "slight reorder of the priorities" amid global political issues.

He made the case to "look again when the world's policies have settled down" and said: "If pursuing green options is cheaper for our residents then that is what will happen.

"The world has changed. It is not as stable and safe as it was and the first thing we need to be focusing on is making sure that people can afford food and fuel."

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The ditched commitment to "being a great employer" was also raised again by Councillor Nicki Scott (Green, Warwick South).

"We are not focusing on our staff at the moment," she said.

"That means we have retention problems, absence problems and we are not attracting the best talent to this council."

Portfolio holder for customer and localities Cllr Mike Bannister argued that a recent staff survey "doesn't support the view constantly put forward by the opposition, that somehow staff morale is on the floor".

"It is not on the floor. You're putting it on the floor by continually raising the issue," he insisted.

That came after his incredulity at political opponents attempting to reshape the council plan.

"Let's be clear about this, this is not your council plan, it is the administration's," said Cllr Bannister.

"We don't agree with the issues you are bringing forward. We are bringing forward a well-balanced, grounded council plan for residents, offering them value for money and concentrating on those areas that we hear about on the doorstep every day."

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Cllr Finch looked towards the Liberal Democrat benches and proclaimed "I think someone in this chamber has lost the plot" in response to criticism that he did not listen to the debate, dismissing claims about climate change as "nonsense" and accusing rivals of not paying attention to the financial hardship some residents face.

Green group leader Cllr Jonathan Chilvers came in at the end to say: "I very clearly did talk about people struggling to put food on the table.

"You very explicitly said I didn't, and another of other people talked about the difficulties people have in feeding and eating.

"Please don't say things that are not true."

Reform's council plan, including the Conservative amendments, passed by 31 votes to 24. Liberal Democrat, Green, Labour and Whitnash Residents councillors all voted against.