Campaigners thank Chichester District Council for championing Community Energy

Campaign group Power for People has thanked Chichester District Council for resolving to support a Bill that would increase domestically generated clean energy, helping to boost local economies and reduce the UK’s reliance on gas.
Campaign group Power for People has thanked Chichester District Council for resolving to support a Bill that would increase domestically generated clean energy. SUS-211122-100732001Campaign group Power for People has thanked Chichester District Council for resolving to support a Bill that would increase domestically generated clean energy. SUS-211122-100732001
Campaign group Power for People has thanked Chichester District Council for resolving to support a Bill that would increase domestically generated clean energy. SUS-211122-100732001

The proposed new law, known as the Local Electricity Bill, is supported by a cross-party group of 281 MPs.

Chichester District Council joins the group of 91 local authorities across the UK who have resolved to support the Bill.

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If made law, it would create a new ‘Right to Local Supply’ of energy that would empower communities to sell locally generated electricity directly to local households and businesses.

This was a key recommendation of the Parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee, who advise the Government on environmental policy, following their recent inquiry into community-scale renewable energy.

Currently customers can only purchase electricity from nationally licensed utilities.

The Bill’s supporters say this means money people use to pay their energy bills is not helping to rebuild local economies and local clean energy infrastructure.

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Campaigning group, Power for People, are calling for MPs and the Government to make the Bill law and are leading a supportive coalition of organisations including Community Energy England, Community Energy Scotland, Community Energy Wales, Good Energy, WWF, Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the RSPB.

Leader of Chichester District Council, Councillor Eileen Lintill, said: “The Local Electricity Bill will empower and enable new community energy companies to sell energy that they generate directly to local people.

“The revenues received by these new local renewable energy providers would be used to help improve the local economy and local services and facilities.”

Power for People’s Director, Steve Shaw, said: “We thank Chichester District Council for supporting the Local Electricity Bill.

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“If made law, the Bill would unleash the huge potential for new community-owned clean energy infrastructure, making our energy system more robust and boosting the local economy, jobs, services and facilities in Chichester and in communities across the country.”

Responding on behalf of the Government on the 1st July, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Minister, Amanda Solloway MP, said of the Bill that the Government, “agreed with its broad intentions”, but not the detail.