The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has pushed for a greater role for local (parish and town) councils in delivering community energy projects.
In response to the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero consultation on barriers to community energy projects, NALC argued that many of the 10,000 local councils it represents have a huge role to play in delivering such projects to improve biodiversity and reduce carbon consumption in their place.
NALC also believes that improvements to the current regime of government support and investment in electricity transmission infrastructure could be made by facilitating action by communities to undertake small-scale projects themselves.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero committed to consult on the barriers to community energy projects by launching this call for evidence. It co-designed this consultation with the energy sector through the Community Energy Contact Group. By utilising the evidence and information from this consultation, the government will be better placed to understand the issues facing the energy sector more widely.