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The Communities secretary Eric Pickles is “preventing Britain getting the green power revolution it needs”, according to the energy secretary.
Speaking at the Liberal Democrat conference in Glasgow, Ed Davey said he had to “battle” with the Conservative communities secretary in relation to onshore wind projects.
Davey said that by calling in every onshore wind planning application “Mr Pickles is in danger of bringing the planning system into disrepute, of abusing ministerial power.”
The energy secretary added that he has refused calls from the Tories to cap the amount of onshore wind, “not just because it’s vital for climate change, but also to keep energy bills down, as onshore wind is now the cheapest large scale green energy option.”
Davey also attacked the Conservatives’ for viewing “shale gas as the answer to everything” and having a desire to “frack every square mile of Britain”.
He said shale gas is not a “magic bullet” but that it would provide a secure supply of gas which will be needed for “at least for the next two or three decades” as a bridge to a zero fossil fuel future.
Davey also outlined his ambition to increase the market share held by independent suppliers from the current 8 per cent to 30 per cent by the end of the decade “because that’s the only way to deliver lower energy bills and better customer service”.
The energy secretary added that £100 million of new funding has been made available for the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (GDHIF) from November.
The second phase of the initiative, which has government funding already secured, follows the first phase of the GDHIF which closed in July after it got through its £120 million budget in only seven weeks due to “overwhelming demand”.
The announcement from Davey also undermined Labour’s promise to improve the energy efficiency of more than five million homes within ten years, made by the shadow energy secretary Caroline Flint two weeks ago.
However, responding to the GDHIF funding, Labour’s shadow climate change minister Jonathan Reynolds said: “The Green Deal has been a total flop and the last round of the GDHIF was completely chaotic and closed just six weeks after it opened.
“Without a change of approach, the Government will just be throwing good money after bad.”
The energy secretary also highlighted the pledge made in the Liberal Democrat’s pre-manifesto to cut council tax for more energy efficient homes by “at least £100 a year,” and for unabated coal-fired generation to cease by 2025.
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