Category: Environment

Power for People – A Good Year

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This year our Community Energy Revolution campaign made excellent progress, thanks to the many who helped at key moments. As we look forward to next year, here is what we achieved in 2023:

1. Thousands of you wrote to your MPs…

If you were one of the many who got in touch with their MP, a massive thank you. It kept the momentum up in Parliament and in constituencies

2. …and we helped many of you respond to their emails.

MPs’ emails can be long and highly technical. We helped you respond to and, when necessary, refute their points. This often shifted an MP’s stance, helped bring many new MPs on board and kept supportive MPs engaged.

3. A majority of MPs in the House of Commons now back new community energy enabling measures.

Our collective efforts have led to this impressive milestone. 326 MPs from all major parties now publicly support the Local Electricity Bill: our proposed law that would empower community energy groups to sell their clean power directly to local people.

4. We won two legislative votes in the House of Lords…

On two separate occasions, we beat the Government whip to see our proposals to help community energy projects included in Government legislation. These victories helped secure new supportive measures from Government.

5. …and got community energy to the top of the agenda at several debates in Parliament.

At several debates this year on energy legislation, community energy was the most featured topic. Given the sector’s current size, this is an outstanding achievement and demonstrates the strength of our collective power.

6. We secured a new £10 million fund for community projects across England…

Our collective advocacy for community energy led to the Government introducing the first new fund to help community energy projects in over six years.

7. ….and we got the Government to promise a consultation on removing the barriers blocking community energy sector growth.

This is a new avenue to achieve reforms to help community energy thrive. When the consultation opens, we will be asking everyone to submit responses to ensure that we can make the most of this excellent opportunity. Again, we will be here to help.

8. Government Ministers are responding more favourably.

This year saw a shift in how the Government treats community energy. For many years they have declined to take action to help create growth in local renewable energy generation. Now, community energy is a subject they are ever more questioned and challenged on in Parliament and they have started to act to empower it.

All the above is testament to our determined collective persistence. We can carry this momentum into the new year as we continue the push for reforms to enable community energy to thrive.

Thank you for making this a good year and I wish you a happy and restful festive break.

Rupert Meadows
Campaigner

Find out more at the Power for People website.

Trees for Cities: Ashburton Playing Fields Project Update

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Trees for Cities is pleased to be working with Croydon Council to plant some new trees on Ashburton Playing Fields. We are planting some large trees across the playing fields to provide additional shade and enhance biodiversity.

Thank you to everyone who provided feedback on the tree planting design. Comments, concerns and suggestions were taken into consideration to create the updated design and species list which can be viewed on our website.

Following community consultation, we are planning to plant the trees in March 2024. There will be lots of opportunities to volunteer and get involved with a community planting day planned for 16th March 2024.

If you would like to be kept informed of this project, or would like to learn how to get involved, please click here for contact details.

Yellow Weather Warning Rain – Saturday 4th November 05:00 – 23:59

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The Met Office has issued a yellow rain weather warning for Saturday 4th November 05:00 – 23:59

Yellow warnings mean that you should plan ahead thinking about possible travel delays, or the disruption of your day to day activities.

Heavy rain or showers falling on saturated ground may cause some disruption, particularly to travel.

Please keep up to date with the latest Met Office forecast details either on the Met Office App or Met Office website.

Power for People – September Update

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Last month’s Government announcement of a new fund to help community energy grow was soon followed by two further welcome commitments

Over the last year the Government have been progressing a big piece of energy legislation through Parliament, called the Energy Bill. Our collective efforts saw MPs from all parties calling for community energy-enabling measures to be added into the Bill, which has now nearly completed its passage through Parliament. In response, on 11th August the Government announced a £10 million Community Energy Fund.

As the first supportive action from Government for community energy in many years, this was a very welcome new direction.

Then, when Parliament debated the Energy Bill again on 5th September, MPs from all parties again called for more from the Government for community energy. Their rationale was that, whilst the new fund will no doubt help, it will not remove the barriers that prevent community energy schemes selling their power directly to local people.

And when the Energy Minister Andrew Bowie spoke, he made two further promises:

  1. To consult on removing the barriers that community energy projects face when trying to sell their power locally, and
  2. To report annually to Parliament on the progress towards removing those barriers.

You can watch our highlights video of the debate by clicking here.

This is another success in our efforts to see more locally-owned and run renewable energy generation. A consultation is a fundamental step towards enablement reform, whilst annual reporting will help Parliament and the public hold the Government to account.

We will do all we can to ensure that the consultation, expected in the autumn, leads to reforms that will help new community energy projects to spring up everywhere.

Then, last week, the House of Lords voted in favour of including a new amendment to the Energy Bill that commits the Government to a strict timeframe for the consultation.

This creates a further opportunity for MPs to urge the Minister for more when the Energy Bill returns to the House of Commons in mid-October. I will write again closer to the time with more details.

All this activity in both Houses of Parliament shows what our collective efforts have done. Before our campaigning started a few years ago, community energy was not a topic that MPs, Lords or Baronesses repeatedly pushed at Parliamentary debates. Now they do – and Ministers are responding ever more positively. Action is the measure of success, not words. But the right words in Parliament are a vital ingredient. Our collective advocacy has done this.

Find out more by visiting the Power for People website.