The economic case for fighting climate change
Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are joint local authority / business bodies created to promote local economic development.
LEPs will see business and civic leaders work together to drive sustainable economic growth and create the conditions for private sector job growth in their communities. This is a real power shift away from central government and quangos and towards local communities and the local businesses who really understand the barriers to growth in their areas.
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The following 33 Local Enterprise Partnerships are progressing to the next stage and have been invited to set up their Boards for recognition by government ministers.
- Birmingham and Solihull with East Staffordshire, Lichfield and Tamworth
- Black Country
- Cheshire and Warrington
- Coast to Capital
- Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
- Coventry and Warwickshire
- Cumbria
- Derby, Derbyshire Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
- Enterprise M3
- Greater Cambridge and Greater Peterborough
- Greater Manchester
- Heart of the South West
- Hertfordshire
- Kent, Greater Essex and East Sussex
- Lancashire
- Leeds City Region
- Leicester and Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Liverpool City Region
- London
- The Marches – Shropshire and Herefordshire
- New Anglia
- North Eastern
- Oxford City Region
- Sheffield City Region
- Solent
- South East Midlands
- Stoke and Staffordshire
- Tees Valley
- Thames Valley Berkshire
- West of England
- Worcestershire
- York and North Yorkshire
Low-Carbon Economy
LEPs will want to create the right environment for business and growth in their areas by tackling issues such as the transition to the low-carbon economy.
Taking action on climate change offers real opportunities for organisations of all sizes. Low-carbon technologies offer new markets, and greater energy efficiency can help consumers reduce fuel bills and save money.
Delivering a skilled workforce, particularly people with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills, will be essential for our transition to a low-carbon economy. This will include up-skilling the existing workforce and retraining those out of work.
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Renewable Energy
As the world gears up for the transition to a new, low-carbon future, the UK needs a robust and thriving renewable energy sector to maximise the economic and employment opportunities this will inevitably bring. As part of EU-wide action to increase the use of renewable energy, the UK has committed to sourcing 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020 – an increase in the share of renewables by almost a factor of seven from about 2.25% in 2008, in scarcely more than a decade.
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Consultations
Useful guidance documents
Localism Bill
The Localism Bill was introduced in Parliament on 13 December 2010. The legislation will help build the Big Society by radically transforming the relationships between central government, local government, communities and individuals.
The Bill contains measures to strengthen local democracy by:
- devolving significant new powers to councils
- establishing powerful new rights for local people and communities
- radically reforming planning
- making housing fairer and more democratic
- creating powerful incentives for economic growth
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Community Energy Online
DECC is keen to ensure LEPs that wish to develop renewable and low-carbon energy projects or strategies have access to the information and support they need. To help meet that commitment, we are working with local authorities and community groups to develop the information available on Community Energy Online – a web portal with the information needed for communities and local authorities to deliver energy projects.
There are also opportunities arising from developments in planning policy to be able to map strategically where communities are keen to develop their own projects.
We are looking to develop Community Energy Online during the next six months and this will include local events. LEPs interested in participating and/or hosting should contact DECC through the Community Energy Online website.
The Green Deal
"The Green Deal represents a significant opportunity for businesses. Retailers, tradespeople, energy companies and investors will have access to a huge and growing market, with implications for jobs and skills across the supply chain – and across the country, with no regional bias." We predict that the supply chain could support 100,000 jobs within five years, spread across the United Kingdom. By making our homes and businesses more energy efficient, we can cut our carbon emissions and make real progress toward our 2050 emissions reduction target.
Chris Huhne, former Secretary of State, The Green Deal, A summary of Govt proposals, 2010
The Green Deal will help meet a range of social and environmental objectives:
- reducing energy demand and carbon emissions
- making property warmer
- saving consumers and businesses money
- stimulating a green recovery on jobs
Top four facts about the Green Deal
- Every one of the 26 million homes in the UK could benefit in some way from the Green Deal, as well as many of the UK’s businesses;
- It’s estimated there are 14 million insulation measures like loft, cavity and solid wall to be carried out in Britain’s homes;
- The most energy inefficient homes in the UK could save, on average, around £550 per year by installing insulation measures under the Green Deal;
- The Energy Bill, which was introduced in December 2010, provides the framework for the Green Deal. Delivery of the Green Deal is expected to begin in late 2012.
Contacts
Transport
Decarbonising surface transport is essential to meeting our Climate Change Act target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050 – reducing emissions from local transport will make an important contribution.
Domestic transport accounts for 21% of the UK’s total CO2 emissions, and more than half of these are from the private car. Approximately one third of emissions are generated by trips under ten miles, where there could be considerable opportunity in the shorter term to encourage more sustainable choices.
There are key opportunities in changing the way vehicles are built, powered and driven, but also in making alternative modes more attractive and accessible.
While the reduction in transport emissions over the last two years is projected to continue to 2020, much is dependent on the impacts of economic growth, population, further take-up of technologies (e.g. electric, plug-in hybrid and ultra-low vehicles), and transport choices and behaviour change. Local authorities and their partners are well-placed to help here. Local initiatives can deliver reductions in car trips as well as bringing about increases in walking, cycling and bus trips, which can reduce carbon emissions and address other important objectives such as air quality, health, and congestion.
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Contacts
Smart Grids
Smart Grids will make a key contribution to UK energy and climate goals. It will mean deploying new and existing technologies in ways that make the network use energy more efficiently, and facilitate the use of more low carbon generation. The UK is taking action now and investing in smart grid deployment and planning for the future.
Current Smart-Grid related UK programmes
- £500m innovation spend on distribution networks to 2015 (Low Carbon Networks Fund)
- £10bn smart meter roll-out programme
- £2.9m on small smart grid pilot projects from government (Low Carbon Investment Fund)
- £30m on Electric Vehicle infrastructure from government (Plugged in Places)
Contacts