Last week saw Rishi Sunak restructure his government with the creation of four new government departments, most notably the division of BEIS to form a new “Department for Energy Security and Net Zero”.
The government has provided more information on this restructuring in their new publication: Making Government Deliver for British People, along with mission statements and priority outcomes for each department.
CEE looks forward to working with any member of this reshaped cabinet. You will shortly be able to view an updated full list of ministers and their responsibilities here. We would like to welcome them all to their new roles and wish them well in this particularly challenging time.
CEE will make contact with several of the new cabinet ministers that we think may prove influential to the sector and provide them with our latest State of the Sector report. The focus on these welcome letters will be how the community energy sector can help during the energy crisis which we believe will be the main focus of the government in the coming months.
We urge you to please keep writing to your MPs asking them to write to relevant ministers and Secretaries of State to get them to provide government support for community energy. If your community energy project lies within or near the constituencies of any of these newly appointed ministers. Please consider contacting them and propose a visit to your community energy project. You can check which constituency your community energy project is located on our new national map. If you would like help with this please see our ‘Harnessing our MPs’ webpage or contact us directly.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
A Government statement says that the new Department has been tasked with:
“Securing our long-term energy supply, bringing down bills and halving inflation. The move recognises the significant impact rising prices have had on households across the country as a result of Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine, and the need to secure more energy from domestic nuclear and renewable sources as we seize the opportunities of net zero.”
Concerningly, the key appointees have a questionable voting history in regards to climate change, as set out below. We hope the department has the impetus and determination to inform these ministers so that their opinions are updated in line with the urgency of the climate crisis. Further, we hope to see this new department implement the recommendations laid out in the Net Zero Review, notably that of “Turbocharging Community Energy” and working “directly with the sector to create a Community Energy Strategy”. We will continue to work hard in informing them about the benefits of community energy and its key role and potential as a sector.
The Rt Hon Grant Shapps has retained his appointment as Secretary of State, moving from the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to the newly formed Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Shapps has been an MP since 2005 and has held Ministerial roles at the Department for International Development and, more recently, as the Secretary of State for Transport (DfT). His voting record on climate-related issues has been poor. Examples of this are shown on the website They Work For You, which states that he:
- “Generally voted against measures to prevent climate change. 11 votes for, 21 votes against, 14 absences, between 2008–2022. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted against (59 votes, between 2005–2022).”
- “Generally voted against financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods. 0 votes for, 4 votes against, 2 absences, between 2011–2018. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted against (11 votes, between 2011–2018).”
Graham Stuart MP has retained his position as the Minister of State, now in this Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. His official designation of Climate Minister has gone and there is no mention of climate in ministerial or departmental titles though we welcome increased focus on energy and net zero. His voting record on climate-related issues is somewhat mixed. For example, the website They Work For You states that he
- “Generally voted against measures to prevent climate change. 14 votes for, 27 votes against, 5 absences, between 2008–2022. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted against (59 votes, between 2005–2022).”
- “Voted a mixture of for and against financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods. 2 votes for, 3 votes against, 1 absence, between 2011–2018. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted against (11 votes, between 2011–2018).”
Within this department there are three Parliamentary Under Secretary of States, including: Andrew Bowie MP, Lord Callanan and Amanda Solloway MP. You can learn more about them on They Work for You.
Lord Callanan has been responsible for community energy in recent times and we expect this to continue.
Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
The Rt Hon Michael Gove MP has retained his appointment as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUCH). Gove has been an MP since 2005 and has had previous roles as Secretary of State for Education, for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and for Housing, Communities and Local Government. His voting record on climate issues is poor. For example, the website They Work for You states that he
- “Generally voted against measures to prevent climate change. 8 votes for, 22 votes against, 16 absences, between 2008–2022. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted against (59 votes, between 2005–2022).”
- “Generally voted against financial incentives for low carbon emission electricity generation methods. 0 votes for, 2 votes against, 4 absences, between 2012–2018. Comparable Conservative MPs generally voted against (11 votes, between 2011–2018).”
This said, Michael Gove has most recently supported ending the ban on onshore wind, with the DLUCH recently undertaking a technical consultation on the national planning framework for onshore wind development in England. This consultation, named the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy, ends on 2nd March; you can view, suggest changes and sign our draft response here.
The Rt Hon Rachel Maclean MP is the Minister of State for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Rachel Maclean has held two previous roles as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, first at the Department for Transport between February 2020 and September 2021, and then at the Home Office between September 2021 and July 2022. Rachel Maclean has a poor voting history on measures to prevent climate change.
