Support for Local Electricity Bill

A motion from Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council Executive Member for Climate Change Cllr Martin Cartwright asking the Council to promote the Bill becoming law received full support.

While there are no current plans for a scheme, it would establish a Right to Local Supply by allowing the set up and running costs of selling renewable electricity to local people to be proportionate.

Councillors agreed to ask the area’s local MPs to push for the reintroduction of the national Local Electricity Bill, which did not progress through the previous parliament.

Councillor Cartwright also asked councillors to acknowledge the efforts the council has already made and continues to make to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote renewable electricity and recognise that local authorities can play a central role in creating sustainable communities, particularly through the provision of locally generated renewable electricity.

 He added: “There are very large financial setup and running costs involved in selling locally generated renewable electricity, completely disproportionate to the amount that can be achieved by borough councils such as Hinckley & Bosworth which is a barrier to local customers resulting in it being impossible for local renewable electricity generators to do so.  

“Making these financial costs proportionate to the scale of a renewable electricity supplier’s operation would create significant opportunities for councils including Hinckley and Bosworth to be the providers of locally generated renewable electricity directly to local people, businesses and organisations. Money earned by councils that became local renewable energy providers could be used to help fund local greenhouse gas emissions reduction measures and to help improve local services and facilities.