Open Letter to the Secretary of State
November 2026
The Rt Hon Miatta Fahnbulleh MP
Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
55 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2HP
Dear Ms Fahnbulleh
Enabling community energy schemes to sell locally
We welcome the Government’s intention to enable communities to sell clean energy locally, as stated in Parliament by Michael Shanks on 15th July last year and by Katie White on 2nd June this year.1
Reducing the UK’s dependence on unstable fossil fuel imports and embracing home-produced clean power is a vital step in tackling the cost of living and delivering energy security. Community energy, where local people organise to set up and run renewable energy generation schemes, has remarkable potential to contribute to this.
Community energy currently generates less than 0.5% of the UK’s electricity. Growth is being blocked by outdated energy market rules, with smaller schemes prevented from supplying power directly to local customers by insurmountable costs and burdens.
Enabling local selling would unlock community energy’s potential. Schemes would receive a fair price for the energy they generate, which, according to an Environmental Audit Committee inquiry, could see the sector grow twentyfold within ten years.2
In June, the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee recommended that ‘the Government produces, within six months, a regulatory framework to allow community energy generators to sell electricity to local consumers’. Over 100 Local Authorities, 110 national organisations, 1,100 community organisations nationwide also back this reform.3
Since 2023, when the Local Electricity Bill was introduced by a cross party group of MPs, the former and current Governments have been promising to address the market rules which hold community energy back. Whilst we welcome the financial support provided to the sector, we urge you to end the delay and enable local supply for community energy schemes, so that communities can benefit from the remarkable growth potential of locally produced clean power.
Yours sincerely
Lord Alton of Liverpool, Crossbench Peer
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, Green Peer
Lee Barron, Labour MP
Siân Berry, Green MP
Baroness Boycott, Crossbench Peer
Kirsty Blackman, Scottish National Party MP
Wendy Chamberlain, Liberal Democrat MP
Danny Chambers, Liberal Democrat MP
Sarah Champion, Labour MP
Ellie Chowns, Green MP
Victoria Collins, Liberal Democrat MP
Carla Denyer, Green MP
Neil Duncan-Jordan, Labour MP
Richard Foord, Liberal Democrat MP
Pippa Heylings, Liberal Democrat MP
Chris Hinchliff, Labour MP
Wera Hobhouse, Liberal Democrat MP
Kim Johnson, Labour MP
Ben Lake, Plaid Cymru MP
Graham Leadbitter, Scottish National Party MP
Rachael Maskell, Labour MP
Brian Mathew, Liberal Democrat MP
Edward Morello, Liberal Democrat MP
Dr Simon Opher, Labour MP
Brendan O’Hara, Scottish National Party MP
Al Pinkerton, Liberal Democrat MP
Adrian Ramsay, Green MP
Joshua Reynolds, Liberal Democrat MP
Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Labour MP
Roz Savage, Liberal Democrat MP
Liz Saville-Roberts, Plaid Cymru MP
Jim Shannon, Democratic Unionist Party MP
Hannah Spencer, Green MP
Zarah Sultana, Your Party MP
Sir Desmond Swayne, Conservative MP
Lord Teverson, Liberal Democrat Peer
Nadia Whittome, Labour MP
Sir Jeremy Wright, Conservative MP
Martin Wrigley, Liberal Democrat MP
Claire Young, Liberal Democrat MP
Footnotes:
1 “We are absolutely determined to do it. He is right to make the point about delivering clean power that benefits local communities, so that they can buy it locally and really see the benefit of hosting it. That is exactly what we are determined to do and we will continue to work to make it happen.” – Michael Shanks MP, as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Energy Security and Net Zero Oral Answers to Questions, House of Commons, 15th July 2025
“We are pursuing [direct local selling] through the Local Power Plan, and we intend for that to happen.” – Katie White MP, as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Energy Security and Net Zero Oral Answers to Questions, House of Commons, 2nd June 2026
2 Environmental Audit Committee, ‘Technological Innovations and Climate Change: Community Energy’, 2021
3 A full list of supportive Local Authorities and organisations is here: powerforpeople.org.uk/the-local-electricity-bill/support