The Young Foundation’s ‘Rewriting the rulebook’ vision for greener, fairer, community-powered growth, calls for a new approach to decision-making and policy change that unlocks the wider benefits of low-carbon opportunities and places.
This requires greater collaboration between industry, government, innovation and communities, ensuring the nation’s net zero transition is designed to support everyone.
The Labour Government’s ‘Great British Energy’ initiative brings a unique opportunity for collaboration, by ringfencing a percentage of the £600m in funding for councils in the Local Power Plan to build a consistent baseline of support for communities across the UK. This could enable every community to engage and develop energy transition journeys that meet their specific, local needs.
Community participation will be crucial if we are to meet our national commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and make sure the impact is long-lasting and impactful. Indeed, The World Economic Forum has called for energy transition to be driven by empowering communities, through ‘strong and dedicated engagement’, giving communities the agency and political levers they need. Part of this support could be delivered through community energy organisations, which currently deliver community-led renewable energy programmes, energy demand reduction and energy supply projects.
The Young Foundation would call for a framework alongside funding, creating a better connected system between communities, community energy companies and Local government. This should include greater detail from the UK Government on how the Local Power Plan will support communities and community energy organisations – crucially, defining their roles and describing how they integrate with other key partners, including local government and other green energy providers. Providing a framework for how everyone can work effectively together would empower communities to drive the energy transition required in every region across the UK.
Community energy organisations have been formed from Shetland to Penzance. There are now more than 300 such organisations across the UK, delivering energy projects that are wholly owned and/or controlled by communities or formed through a partnership with commercial or public sector partners. However, not all communities have been fortunate to benefit from a community energy projects, due to cold spots where community energy organisations have yet to emerge, and a lack of continuity in project delivery, due to the tender-focused approach, which makes funding competitive and the distribution unevenly shared. Local Power Plan funding could be used to ensure a consistent baseline offer to every community, enabling community energy organisations to build on the energy provision they currently deliver including solar, wind, retrofit and low carbon transport. This could empower these community energy organisations to work with local government, and local people to drive the planning and investment that each community requires, building the vital groundswell of engagement and trust to reach net zero.
Hackney Council’s energy services arm, Light and Power, demonstrates the impact such an approach can have, delivering clean energy services across the east London borough, that have helped to tackle fuel poverty and support vulnerable residents. This has been possible by combining the Green Homes Programme with Hackney’s Community Energy Fund, and developing a pilot project to generate local renewable electricity that can be sold to residents at a discounted rate.
‘Excitement for change’
I was recently invited to the Community Energy London’s Conference in Hackney, which was attended by a diverse group of stakeholders, including policymakers, community energy volunteers, and staff and public sector leaders and officers. The Conference was buzzing with excitement for real change. However, it was clear that not all communities are fortunate enough to have access to the knowledge, tools expertise and provision required to take advantage of the green energy transition. This means that there are some very well-developed community energy organisations delivering a wide range of community focused projects, while other areas of the country have little (North Wales, East Suffolk) to no provision at all (East Lincolnshire). Beyond community energy organisations as a sector – there is also a wider need identified by government for how to involve residents in the wider plans and decisions around Britain’s clean energy transformation. Engaging meaningfully with local communities is vital, for example, in any plans to embed more onshore wind or to harness considerable opportunities for solar, wave, hydrogen or tidal power, depending what most suits different geographies and energy needs across the UK.
Local leaders spoke passionately about the opportunity this government offers. None more so than Councillor Mete Coban, who said a community-focused approach, based on embedding local voices in decision-making, had delivered clear benefits for the people of Hackney, including cheaper community energy and warmer healthier homes for residents. However, he was very clear that a community focused approach needs to build community trust and engagement, which can be difficult to finance, due to the time and resource this requires. No one should ever assume community engagement is easy or a quick win – but it is the best investment to avoid resistance and mismatched provision in energy transformation and more – the best investment to achieve positive outcomes for communities in the long run. This makes it crucial that we work with local leaders to show the outcomes such approaches can have for their communities.
Hackney’s Community Energy Fund, and developing a pilot project to generate local renewable electricity that can be sold to residents at a discounted rate. There is a growing call for community involvement in change across the UK, not only in community energy initiatives but in the design and rollout of the government’s wider plans for a clean, green, British energy transition. There is huge potential, if the rollout of Great British Energy responds to that call, for communities across the UK to feel the benefits, backed by Local Power Plan funding. This could help enable everyone to take an active part in delivering on our green transition, in ways that are fair, meaningful and sustainable for all.
Find out more about The Young Foundation’s work in this space at youngfoundation.org/fair-green-people-powered/
Climate change Community Community needs & priorities Environment Posted on: 13 August 2024 Authors: Jacob Coburn,