Barnet Greens have called on local councils to do their part in securing affordable energy for residents.
In the last month, 5 of the “Big Six” energy firms have announced price increases. Although energy firm bosses have since been called infront of MPs to defend their price hikes, Green Party figures have expressed doubts that the Government is serious about breaking “the stranglehold” of the Big Six, with Caroline Lucas MP saying “It might be easier to take the Energy Secretary…seriously if dozens of employees from the Big Six were not working inside his department, often paid for by taxpayers.”
Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett has questioned why energy prices have gone up by 9% on average when wholesale gone up by 1.7% this year, adding “we need a serious focus on energy conservation, particularly home insulation left, to end the scandal exposed today by the Children Society of the more than half of the 3 million children living in poverty who say their home is uncomfortably cold. We need to look to renewable energy and we need to provide a secure investment environment that could see the development of the renewable energy manufacturing sector.”
Greens in the London Borough of Barnet have responded by reminding local councils that they have the ability and the duty to do more to help residents. Speaking in a letter to the Barnet and Potters Bar Times, local party Spokesperson A M Poppy said:
“As our energy bills rise, we have a right to ask: what is our council doing for us. Local councils do have the power (pun intended) to take actions including: helping us save energy (by organising mass building insulation for example); assisting us in finding good energy deals (by joining London’s Big Energy Switch that uses collective negotiations with the energy companies to get a better deal); and most interestingly, investing in generating energy for us and bringing down prices, improving energy security, cutting carbon emissions and making Barnet more resilient. This can involve installing micro renewables, generating energy from waste plants, geothermal and biomass.”
In her letter, Poppy highlighted councils such as Bristol and Aberdeen who have already helped residents. “The only reason that more councils don’t pursue this is the lack of experience and expertise in the public sector. Barnet borough is filled with the relevant experience and expertise. Let the council start using it for our benefit.”
“The energy crisis is not going away, and what better purpose does the council have than to help us be stronger, greener and richer?”