We didn’t plan it this way and it’s a tragedy that it has taken the horrors in Ukraine to push Energy onto the front pages and people’s TV screens. But Moorlands Climate Action’s very first Energy Fair at the Foxlowe in Leek in April took place against a background of this heightened urgency. The desperate need to move away from gas as our primary source of energy supply is now a matter of security and affordability as well as the overarching imperative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
At the Energy Fair we aimed to bring this discussion into the local arena (for a snapshot of what went on during the day, please read First Ever Energy Fair in the Moorlands). Local authorities know their area best. Despite the British habit of moaning about the council when they get bored of complaining about the weather, local authorities are, in fact, remarkably well-trusted – certainly much more so than energy companies and national government. For contrast, just look what happened to the last Green Homes programme when it was entrusted to an offshored private sector provider.
Yet too many of them stand paralysed at the moment, lacking the framework and the resources to do what is needed. Staffordshire Moorlands is a member of UK 100, “a network of highly ambitious local government leaders, which seeks to devise and implement plans for the transition to clean energy that are ambitious, cost effective and take the public and business with them”
UK 100 did not hold its punches when chief executive Polly Billington described the government’s recent much-delayed Energy strategy as: “At best, a missed opportunity to harness the power of engaged local leaders to achieve cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy. Local authorities are a vital piece of the puzzle. Despite being vital partners in delivering UK energy security and net zero, the strategy virtually ignored them.” Billlington points out that local authorities are mentioned just twice in the whole document.
Nowhere is this need more apparent than in the question of retrofitting the UK’s housing stock. Again, UK 100’s CEO puts it better than we could. “We desperately need more,” says Billington. “With only 2.8% of homes due to be retrofitted in the next three years, it begs the question: why are we waiting until 2050 to make the other 97.2% energy efficient?”
Local authorities are undoubtedly lacking central direction, powers and resources in this area, but some are doing what they can with the limited powers they have. Just over the border in Derbyshire, for example, we see close cooperation with outside bodies such Marches Energy Agency and the Energy Savings Trust, moves towards fostering local energy projects, and we see the first steps being taken to setting up one-stop shops for retrofit.
Given the alliance between SMDC and High Peak councils we are confident that officers are at least aware of these initiatives. We hope that with a new spirit of openness and endeavour at the leadership levels of the council we may see movement this side of the county line.