SALISBURY City Council has championed a proposed new law encouraging community electricity generation which could bring direct benefits into the area including new skills, jobs, projects, and reduced air pollution.

The proposed law set up by the campaign group Power for People could lead to communities in Salisbury and throughout the country buying electricity from renewable resources within the area reducing the risk of volatile gas supplies.  

Cllr Paul Sample presented the motion to the council and said: “I was very pleased that all of the political groups supported this move. The vote was unanimous. Not a single person spoke or voted against it. I urge the remaining Councils that have not supported this Bill to adopt the motion without delay.”

Campaign group Power for People thanked Salisbury City Council for supporting the Local Electricity Bill which has been supported by Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, RSPB, WWF, and the National Trust.

Mayor of Salisbury City Council, Cllr Tom Corbin, said: “Salisbury City Council is made up of one independent Councillor and several Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative Councillors who debated and voted in favour of supporting the Local Electricity bill with cross-party support signifying a joined-up approach to lobby MPs in trying to meet the City and the Country’s energy needs.

“Positive Government policy can have a transformative impact and every effort should be made to both increase our use of renewable energy whilst also aiming to minimise and review our energy usage.”

Salisbury Journal:

At the moment, customers are only able to purchase electricity from nationally licensed utilities, so money is not remaining within the community, but this could change. The campaign group state that community renewable energy could grow twentyfold by 2030, taking it from 0.5 per cent to 10 per cent of UK electricity generation.

Power for People is a not-for-profit organisation and director Steve Shaw said: “The enormous emissions reductions the Local Electricity Bill aims to bring must be a key pillar in our mission to avert climate catastrophe.

“If made law, it would unleash the huge potential for new community-owned clean energy infrastructure, making our energy system more robust and boosting the economies of communities across the country, including in Salisbury. We thank Salisbury City Council for supporting the Bill.”

The council’s support comes as campaigners call on the new Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, MP Jacob Rees-Mogg to include measures to support the growth of community energy schemes in upcoming energy legislation.

311 MPs have put their name to the Bill, but the Government has not yet supported these measures.