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 monitor the effectiveness of local authority engagement strategies with residents during the planning of solar developments in Buckinghamshire.

The Government does not set out or monitor how individual local authorities, including Buckinghamshire, engage residents in the planning of solar developments, in recognition of their autonomy and flexibility to deliver net zero according to each local area’s varying needs and opportunities.

Nationally, Government engages with the public on solar and other low carbon technologies in the Public Attitudes Tracker, a triannual household survey tracking public awareness and attitudes relating to the Department’s policy areas.

The Government is working with GBE to develop the Local Power Plan, to turbocharge the UK’s local and community energy sector. Charles Warren Academy in Milton Keynes was one of the first schools to receive solar panels funded by GBE alongside the Department for Education.