Agenda item

Lancashire Energy Plan

Minutes:

 A report was presented by Andy Walker, Head of Service Business Growth, on the Lancashire Energy Strategy which had been produced by a Steering Group comprising representatives from local authorities, public health, two universities, local utility companies, the private sector and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership.

 

The report identified that one of the four 'grand challenges' of the Local Industrial Strategy, Clean Growth, had emerged as an increasingly important area of government policy. In 2018, the Energy Team in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy provided a grant of £40,000 via Local Enterprise Partnership structures in England. The push to develop a Local Energy Strategy / Plan was prompted by two main factors:-

 

·  Analysis commissioned by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy of local Strategic Economic Plans and European Structural and Investment Fund plans highlighted a mixed picture in respect of clear policies, strategies and activity focused on clean growth / low carbon activity.

 

·  The Department for Business, energy and Industrial strategy was also concerned about the lack of interest and applications for European Structural and Investment funds to support low carbon projects (Priority 4 for the use of European Regional Development Fund allocations in local areas.

 

The Lancashire Energy strategy commission had been led by a specialist consultancy, Encraft.  Details of their key findings, current activity and future priorities were provided in the report.

 

For the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and Local Authority partners, six key indicators were proposed:

 

·  Insulate – Improving energy efficiency of hard to treat properties

·  Heat – Delivery of a city centre heat network within a Lancashire urban area

·  Jobs – Supporting the creation of jobs in the energy and low carbon sectors

·  Low carbon – Carbon emissions reduced in line with UK targets, a 57% reduction on 1990 levels by 2032

·  Active – double journeys by bike and increase the number of people walking by 10% by 2027, in line with Lancashire's Cycling and Walking Strategy

·  Productivity – Improve energy productivity by 20% in commercial and industrial sectors.

 

The Clean Growth Strategy recognised that moving to a productive low carbon economy could not be achieved by central government alone, it was a shared responsibility across the country. The Government had recognised the importance of local action on decarbonisation and so were providing resources to support LEPs and local authorities to take action.

 

The BEIS had identified that barriers to progression towards a low carbon economy at a local level included limited capacity and capability amongst LEPs and local authorities to deliver local energy investment. The BEIS Local Energy programme was designed to address the gap in the capacity and capability of LEPs and other local organisations. Part of this involved funding LEP Energy Strategies to understand the opportunities across each LEP area. The overall aim of the BEIS proposal was to provide a series of local energy hubs across the country.

 

With European funding, the LEP was doing well in identifying projects for low carbon emissions, one of these being the North West Energy Hub. The Hub would provide expertise and resources to help LEPs across the North West to deliver local energy projects.

 

It was vital that the Local Energy Plan picked up on sector opportunities. It was noted that a key priority of the plan was the low carbon supply chain. Low priority would be given to the exploration of shale gas.

 

 

Resolved: That the Business Support Management;

 

  i.  Note Lancashire's Energy Strategy on behalf of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership.

  ii.  Note the extent to which European Regional Development Funding Priority 4 funding has been committed.

 

Supporting documents: