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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the ability of local authorities to help tackle the climate emergency at a local level.

BEIS launched the Local Energy programme in 2017 to support local authorities in taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote clean growth. Almost £20 million has been invested in the programme to date, funding a range of measures designed to build local capacity and capability. This includes creating five Local Energy Hubs across England, which provide Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and local authorities with access to expertise to help them develop plans to secure investment in low carbon projects. The programme has also funded the production of an energy strategy for every LEP area, the production of good practice guidance and resources, a finance conference and regional workshops, and the £10 million re-launch of the Rural Community Energy Fund.