Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps his Department is taking to help support communities in rural areas to access (a) funding and (b) other incentives for net-zero projects.

Government recognises the important role community groups play in our efforts to tackle climate change and offers support for the sector. Great British Energy’s Local Power Plan will support communities to roll out small and medium scale renewable energy projects, providing commercial, technical and project‑planning assistance, increasing their capability and capacity to build a pipeline of successful projects in their local areas. Government also supports the sector through the £10 million Community Energy Fund, which allows both rural and urban communities across England to access grant funding to develop local renewable energy projects for investment.