Coalition Government plans to slash the energy tariff councils can charge by almost 50% for solar energy systems on council property will hit vulnerable groups and damage job creation' says the Green leader of Brighton & Hove City Council.
Reports suggest that the Department of Energy and Climate Change is planning to reduce the Feed in Tariff from the current 43p rate to 21p with the current higher rate only applicable for schemes registered prior to 8 December.
Council Leader Bill Randall said' "The government plans, if true, are incredibly unhelpful and will seriously damage the business case for Brighton & Hove City Council's ambitious solar energy programme on public buildings and council houses.
"A tariff reduction of this size threatens our plans to roll out eco-friendly energy that will help provide cheaper heating and electricity for the city's most vulnerable at a time of rising energy costs.
"We were looking to this programme to partly offset government cuts to our budget, whilst also reducing our carbon footprint, tackling fuel poverty and creating local jobs."
Notes:
Brighton & Hove City Council has drawn up a list of 40 non-residential properties for photovoltaic (PV) panels. They include schools, office buildings, leisure centres and multi-storey car parks.
The council is also looking at using council homes and blocks of flats, potentially increasing the number of buildings generating power.
See the press release here: www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/index.cfm?request=b1149084&action=show_pr&id=261925
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