2024 party manifestos show community energy is now in the political mainstream

In their 2024 manifestos, Labour, the Lib Dems and the Greens put local communities at the heart of their plans to reach net zero. In the election, these parties won almost three quarters of seats, demonstrating that there is a new political consensus that puts community energy at the centre of the UK’s approach to climate action.

The Labour government's manifesto endorsed its Local Power Plan, which offers up to £1 billion per year in grants for local authorities and low interest loans for community energy organisations to do new local, community-led and owned clean energy projects. Over five years, this could deliver 8 gigawatts of solar and onshore wind – the equivalent of 2.5 nuclear power stations – enough to power 4.35 million homes.

For more details on what the manifestos did and did not contain, read our manifestos blog here.