Power up local communities to hit climate targets, urges Green New Deal report

From Caroline Lucas' webpage

Powering up local communities with cleaner community energy, local food supplies and strengthened public transport networks is essential if the UK is to hit its 2030 climate targets, according to a new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on a Green New Deal, co-chaired by Green MP Caroline Lucas and Labour MP Clive Lewis. 

The report marks the culmination of the APPG’s ‘Local Edge’ inquiry, which held evidence sessions to explore best practice solutions at a local level to reduce carbon emissions across three sectors – heat, energy and buildings; food, land use and nature; and transport and air quality – and to identify regulatory changes needed in order to enable local initiatives to reach their potential, scale up, replicate and flourish.  

The UK’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) has committed to cut carbon emissions by 68% below 1990 levels by 2030. While the Government has set bolder carbon reduction targets for 2035 and 2050, meeting the 2030 target represents Parliament’s most immediate challenge – which will be impossible to reach unless it devolves significant powers and resources to a local level, the report argues. 

Caroline Lucas, Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: 

We know that every home can be its own power station. But now we need national Government to power up communities with the finance, resources and regulatory frameworks to help them scale up and thrive. If we’re going to meet our immediate climate targets and secure a liveable future – with warm and comfortable homes, renewable and affordable local energy, healthy and low-carbon food, and cheap and clean transport – we urgently need to put Green New Deal policies into practice, with local people and communities at the forefront.

The report links climate aspiration and constitutional obligation – offering a joined-up response to the polycrisis of a climate emergency, cost of living scandal, energy crisis and constitutional dilemma. 

Evidence sessions held by the inquiry discovered examples of transformative local initiatives around the country – but found communities were held back by the absence of the necessary national regulatory frameworks, and finance required to scale them up and reach their full potential. The most progressive examples follow a pattern in which national governments set out statutory climate obligations, but allow localities to determine how best to deliver them. 

One of the most transformative proposals would be for the Government to make its commitment to a 68% reduction in carbon emissions on 1990 levels by 2030 a binding obligation on all public sector organisations and agencies for all their spending, programmes and projects. 

Amongst other recommendations, the report calls for a European-style ‘right of local supply’, promoting the development of more localised energy communities, by allowing community renewables generation schemes to sell directly to local people; changes to grid access charging in favour of more localised energy systems; and energy efficiency funding to be restored to at least 2012 levels.

The report also demands an end to tax allowances for the use of fossil fuel vehicles. Lessons from cities such as Manchester suggest that conflicts between communities and commuters can be minimised if integrated, affordable public transport alternatives are on offer. 

Some of the report’s other key recommendations include: 

• Planning law must be aligned with net zero climate targets and they should be specifically included in local plans. 
• Local authorities must be given a statutory duty to cut transport emissions in their area by 68% by 2030. 
• The duty to deliver integrated public transport services should be returned to local authorities. 
• The ECO energy efficiency programme should be replaced with a revised version of Warm Zones – developing whole-area, rather than individual, approaches to energy conservation. 
• All carbon subsidies (to fertilisers and fuel) must be swapped into support for regenerative and organic farming. 
• A new Local Food Investment Fund should be established to provide strategic support across the UK for investment in localised agri-food infrastructure and enterprise.  
• The 15-acre minimum size threshold for applications to DEFRA’s community supported farm schemes should be scrapped. 

Because of the UK’s over-centralised approach to energy generation, storage and distribution, specific recommendations were made to the energy regulator Ofgem. The report calls for Ofgem to open its Innovation Funding to promote more localised ‘combined heat and power’ systems; to switch to an average cost pricing system that favours more localised and lower cost renewables; and to prioritise the lowest carbon/lowest marginal cost supplies, ending the current situation in which wind turbines can be stood down to keep power stations running. 

The full report can be found here.

Fuel povery Action's 600k 'Energy for All' petition to be presented to Downing Street on Wednesday after rally at Old Palace Yard addressed by Caroline Lucas and Clive Lewis

 From Fuel Poverty Action

Over 600,000 people have signed a growing petition calling on Prime Minister Liz Truss to end fuel poverty by implementing a new pricing structure: Energy For All.  Energy For All would give everyone a free amount of energy to cover the basics like heating, lighting and cooking. This would be paid for by higher prices on profligate energy use; windfall taxes and ending the millions of pounds spent daily on fossil fuel subsidies.

The petition is part of the ‘Energy For All’ campaign organised by Fuel Poverty Action,  and will be delivered to Downing Street on Wednesday 19th October.

Over 20 MPs are expected to attend a rally from 1pm at King George V Statue, Old Palace Yard, Westminster.  Campaigners will then proceed to Downing Street to deliver the petition to the Prime Minister at 2.30 p.m.

Ruth London, Co-Director of Fuel Poverty Action said:
 

The government’s latest measures will leave millions in miserable poverty this winter, and many thousands will die from cold homes. The existing pricing system is fundamentally unfair. The less you use, the more you pay per unit. Even people who are turning their heating off entirely are clobbered with the heavy standing charge. 

Energy For All will take our subsistence money back from the energy  giants who are sucking it out of our homes.  It will make sure that what people receive is based on what they need.  People heating mansions will pay more.  People who use no more than they need will pay far less.  And the government will finally be incentivised to insulate our homes. 

MPs Caroline Lucas and Clive Lewis, and Lord Prem Sikka will be addressing the crowd, alongside people who are facing a cold and miserable winter due to ill health, damp housing and rising prices.  For more information on moves inside Parliament, please see their quotes, below. 

The principle of a free allocation of energy, with higher tariffs for those who use far more than they need, has the support of 75% of the population according to a nationwide ICM survey in June

The idea is supported by a wide and growing range of organisaitons including the TUC, Disabled People Against Cuts, New Economics Foundation, Tax Justice UK, Single Mothers Self Defence, Parents for Future, Women Against Rape, Extinction Rebellion Scotland, Global Women’s Strike, Disabled Mothers' Rights Campaign, 350.org, Lewisham Pensioners Forum, and Just Stop Oil. Representatives of many of these movements will be at the rally on 19 October.
 

 

On Tuesday 18th October Clive Lewis, the Labour Member of Parliament for Norwich South, will present the Energy Equity Commission Bill (a Private Members’ Bill) in the House of Commons Chamber. He will also table an Early Day Motion on the Bill, which Members of Parliament can sign if they are supportive. These initiatives have cross-party support.

Clive Lewis MP, lead sponsor of the Energy Equity Commission Bill said:
 

In an age of climate and economic shocks, there’s an urgent need for a new social settlement that ensures that when it comes to life’s essentials the varying needs of all are met – from energy to housing, from connectivity to healthcare. The Government’s plan will benefit the richest the most, and let oil and gas companies off the hook for polluting and profiteering. Meanwhile, too many households will not have their energy needs met. I support the demand for ‘Energy for All’ because access to energy to meet the needs of a decent life is a basic right. That is also why I am proposing a Private Members’ Bill to introduce a free Universal Basic Energy allowance and a retrofit revolution.

 

Caroline Lucas said: 

 

Millions are already in fuel poverty, yet this Government is failing to provide anywhere near sufficient support to keep people warm throughout this forthcoming winter at the same time as building long term energy resilience.  Rather than spending billions on unfunded tax cuts and subsidies for climate-wrecking fossil fuels, we need to see a windfall tax on obscene oil & gas profits which is worthy of its name, a retrofit revolution to insulate homes and slash bills, and a proper plan to ensure everyone has energy security during the harshest time of the year.

Paula Peters, Disabled People Against Cuts, said: 

 

DPAC supports Fuel Poverty Action's "Energy For All" proposal, it's a vital measure for the safety and wellbeing of disabled and older people in poverty.  There are disabled people who use dialysis machines, ventilators, need to charge power wheelchairs, need the fridge to keep certain medications refrigerated, who are rationing electricity because they cannot afford to charge their equipment to keep them going every day.  People in social care and in energy debt with bailiffs at their doors demanding payment.. Disabled people are in a terrifying  position, barely surviving or dying. 

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

  

Every family deserves access to affordable, clean energy. But the way we get billed today means that basic energy needs are charged at the same rate as extravagant use.

We need a new approach that gives everyone a free energy allowance for basic needs like heating, cooking and lighting. But when people are powering luxury lifestyles, like heating a private swimming pool, they should expect to pay a higher rate.
 

The government should also put a much higher windfall tax on oil and gas profits. This will help stop profiteering and it will raise revenue that can shield households from the cost of interventions to keep bills down.

Sara Hall, Head of Movement, Tax Justice UK said:

  

Ordinary families are seeing their bills go through the roof at the same time that some big companies like BP and Shell are raking in record profits. A beefed up windfall tax on oil and gas company excessive profits would ensure that these companies aren’t profiteering during these difficult times. The government must use the tax system to raise revenues from the wealthy and big companies, to invest in our economy, in the green transition and ensure everyone has access to energy to cook food, heat their home and keep the lights on.

Clive Lewis & Caroline Lucas head up speakers list at Progressive Alliance event next week

From Compass

 Politics is in crisis and the repercussions from the result of the referendum are being felt socially, politically and economically. For many people, it feels like the country is being torn apart.

If we want a politics and economy that puts all of us first, it's time to come together and start building alliances. We need a democracy that listens and responds, that puts the people in control. We will not get there by shutting people out and perpetuating divisions, but by building bridges, alliances common cause.

In the current political chaos the Right are asserting themselves across the political terrain, while most of the Left's focus is on how Labour is pulling itself apart. Only a progressive alliance of all parties, people and movements can flip the debate to one that builds a society that is much more equal, sustainable and democratic. With a general election looming in the Autumn, a popular front of ideas and organisation is the only way to defend what we hold dear and to start to build a society that we can all live in and be proud of.

We are calling a series of public meetings to explore: what could a progressive alliance look like? How possible is it? And what can we do to start to make it feasible?

The first meeting will be on Tuesday July 5th. While this event is in London, local groups are exploring holding simultaneous events around the country. We are working on live streaming the event (details to follow) and will be hosting online discussion and meetings across the country in the coming weeks and months.

SPEAKERS:
Caroline Lucas MP, Green Party
Clive Lewis MP, Labour Party
Amina Gichinga, Take Back the City
John Harris, Journalist
Hopefully SNP & Plaid Cymru speakers tbc

VENUE: Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, 235 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, WC2H 8EP.
The venue is fully accessible for wheelchair users.

DATE & TIME: Tuesday July 5th, doors 6pm for a prompt 6.30pm start, finishing at 8.30pm

TICKETS: Please click here to get your tickets, spaces are limited.

Tickets are pay what you can to help us cover the cost of putting on the event, if you would like to come but are not able to pay, please do email clare@compassonline.org.uk.

This is about parties and seats - we need to make sure that the Conservatives and Right do not win the next election - but it must also be much richer and deeper. It must be about values and movements; it is a time for all of us to step up and get involved.

This event will launch a series of conversations about a Progressive Alliance that will then continue across the country, linking up with parties, movements and organisations. There has been a lot of talk about the need for Progressive Alliances over the last week, now is the time to start organising.