Beth Doherty
A London-based campaign group have thanked Salisbury City Council for supporting a proposed new law called the Local Electricity Bill.
If made law, the Local Electricity Bill will allow communities in Salisbury and across the UK could buy their electricity from local, renewable sources, helping to reduce dependency on volatile gas supplies.
311 MPs – nearly a majority of the House of Commons – have now put their name to the Bill.
Currently, customers can only purchase electricity from nationally licensed utilities, meaning the money people use to pay their electricity bills does not remain in the local economy. Nor does it help to support community-owned renewable energy projects.
Campaign Group, People for Power, say “both are now more crucial than ever, as the UK works to combat the challenge of reducing our reliance on foreign gas imports.”
Mayor of Salisbury City Council, Cllr Tom Corbin, said, “Salisbury City Council is made up of one independent Councillor and several Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors who debated and voted in favour of supporting the Local Electricity bill with cross-party support signifying a joined up approach to lobby MPs in trying to meet the City and the Country’s energy needs.
“Positive Government policy can have a transformative impact and every effort should be made to both increase our use of renewable energy whilst also aiming to minimise and review our energy usage.”
Cllr Paul Sample, who presented the motion to the Council, added, “I was very pleased that all of the political groups supported this move. The vote was unanimous. Not a single person spoke or voted against it. I urge the remaining Councils that have not supported this Bill to adopt the motion without delay.”
Power for People says if made law, the Bill could mean community renewable energy growing twentyfold by 2030, taking it from 0.5% to 10% of UK electricity generation and bringing widespread knock-on economic and social benefits.
The group are calling for MPs and the Government to back the Bill and is leading a supportive coalition of community leaders and national organisations including the National Trust, the RSPB, WWF, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth.
Power for People’s Director, Steve Shaw, said, “The enormous emissions reductions the Local Electricity Bill aims to bring must be a key pillar in our mission to avert climate catastrophe. If made law, it would unleash the huge potential for new community-owned clean energy infrastructure, making our energy system more robust and boosting the economies of communities across the country, including in Salisbury. We thank Salisbury City Council for supporting the Bill.”
The Council’s support comes as supporters of the campaign call on the new Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Jacob Rees-Mogg MP, to include measures to support the growth of community energy schemes in any upcoming energy legislation.
So far, the Government have not supported such measures. The campaign continues.
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Andy Munns
