Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on Government support for (a) local authorities and (b) communities to meet the UK's targets for carbon emissions.

Climate change is one of the most urgent and pressing challenges we face today, and the UK Government is committed to tackling it. The Clean Growth Strategy, published in October 2017, sets out the Government’s ambitious plans for decarbonising the economy through the 2020s. We continue to engage with Departments on implementing the strategy, including the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The joint BEIS and MHCLG office for Cities and Local Growth works closely with Ministers from both Departments, as well as Local Enterprise Partnerships and local authorities. BEIS has launched a Local Energy Programme which will provide support to Local Enterprise Partnerships and local authorities to help them implement energy projects which benefit their communities. To date, £7m has been committed to this. Additionally a further £16m has been provided to Local Authorities by the Heat Networks Delivery Unit (HNDU) and £24m through the pilot phase of the £320m Heat Networks Investment Project (HNIP). Local Authorities can also bid for funding in the main scheme of HNIP.