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 local authority leaders on achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030.

The UK was the first major economy to legislate for a net zero target, in line with advice from our independent expert advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, that 2050 was the earliest feasible date for achieving this.

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.