Be a Local Climate Leader
Do you think that the UK is doing enough to tackle the climate crisis? Neither do we.
The latest figures show that we are not on track to meet our emissions targets and renewables provide just 14% of our total energy needs. We must do better than this so that we can power our heating and transport with clean electricity and shift the economy away from fossil fuels.
Community energy - renewable generation owned and run by local people - could reduce our climate emissions and create a range of societal benefits in the process. But the removal of support has meant that fewer community energy projects are being installed each year. As it stands, community energy provides less than 0.5% of our electricity generation. It should be many times more than this.
You’ve probably heard about the UN Climate Summit (COP26) currently taking place in Glasgow. For two weeks, the international spotlight will be on the UK and we are expected to show strong leadership. It’s a great time to tell your elected representatives that you want action, not just words.
Climate Commitments: A Load of Hot Air?
The big parties are saying all the right things. Labour recently committed to investing billions in renewables if elected and just last month, the Prime Minister said we could reach 100% clean electricity by 2035.
But these commitments must be backed up by legislation to ensure that they actually happen and that we are installing as much renewable energy as possible. The longer we wait, the harder tackling the climate crisis becomes.
The Local Electricity Bill is a piece of legislation rapidly gaining traction in Parliament and across the country. The Bill would create a surge in clean community energy projects - from solar panels on schools to hydro units in rivers - and ensure that local people reap the benefits: energy security, skilled jobs and local investment. It would do this by empowering local generators to sell their clean electricity to local people.
A cross-party group of 278 MPs have signed up to support the Bill, including 115 Conservative MPs and 99 Labour MPs. It’s time for others to step up and do the same.
We need your help to push on and get 300 MPs on board. This will bring us within a hair’s breadth of a majority in Parliament - we’re so close!
While the UN Climate Summit takes place in Glasgow, politicians will be keen to show their commitment to climate action. This is an opportunity for you to be a climate leader in your local area. Please help us unblock community energy by piling the pressure on your MP and local councillors.
Be a Local Climate Leader
Here are three actions you can take during COP26 to help the campaign for the Local Electricity Bill:
1) Write to Your MP
If your MP is not listed on our support page, please ask them to support the Local Electricity Bill and ask friends and family to do the same. The more people that contact your MP about the Bill, the greater our chances of them signing up and taking action. Grassroots action really does work.
It’s important that you contact your MP regularly to let them know about the issues that matter to you. Persistence is key. After all, your MP was elected to represent you and speak up for the interests of your local area. So please keep asking them to back the Bill - with your help, we can get to 300 MPs by the new year!
If your MP already supports the Bill, there’s still a lot more they can do to promote it in Parliament. Asking them to write to the Energy Minister is a great place to start.
2) Visit your MP
If you want to be a real champion then please organise a visit with your MP. Most MPs hold weekly surgery meetings where you can meet them in person, or you can request to meet your MP virtually - on your own or with other constituents.
Speaking face-to-face with your MP is one of the most effective ways of getting them to take action on your behalf. Time and again, we have seen that a 15-minute Zoom call is the final push an MP needs before adding their name to the Local Electricity Bill. We can guide you through the process of organising a visit and help you feel confident and prepared.
3) Write to Your Local Council
Most councils have declared a ‘Climate Emergency’ and supporting the Bill is a great way for them to follow through on this commitment. The more organisations we bring on board, the more grassroots power we will build and the more MPs and Ministers will take notice. Over 80 County Councils and Local Authorities have pledged their support already.
If your Local Council is not listed on our support page, please write and ask them to ‘Please pass a motion in support of the Local Electricity Bill.’ You can direct them to our briefing for councillors.
If your Local Council already supports the Bill, please ask your councillors to write to your local MP in support of the Bill.
If you need some advice on what to say to your MP or councillors, please send us an email or get in touch using the contact form at the bottom of this page.
Just think, if we get the Bill passed it will be the world’s first Local Electricity Act and we will see a huge increase in clean, community-owned power across the UK. What better way to demonstrate our climate leadership and set an example for other countries to follow?