Reaction to the government’s energy strategy

Cllr Colin Davie
Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for economic development, environment and planning

Cllr Colin Davie, executive councillor for economy, environment and strategic planning at Lincolnshire County Council, provides commentary on the government’s new energy strategy.

Cllr Davie said:

“We welcome the publishing of the strategy, albeit ten years too late. We support the plans to grow offshore wind and for more solar generation on both domestic and commercial buildings. This is an area we have already progressed as a council with 57 of our buildings utilising solar energy.  It’s also reassuring that the government has recognised that any further onshore wind developments absolutely need local community support. We must balance energy generation with the need to look after our Lincolnshire landscapes. The government should also be looking at a food security policy to reflect the value of our agricultural land and a need to keep food prices stable.

“Although long-term energy security is essential, our residents and businesses are already struggling with increased energy costs. We know in the short-term prices will be high and are likely to remain high into the medium term, affecting our most vulnerable residents the most. We would like to see more schemes that will help in the short-term such as insulation and energy efficiency measures for older housing in the county. This represents a significant missed opportunity.”

“We recognise as a council that we are limited to what we can do to provide energy security for residents in the county, but there are some areas where we can do more work. This includes how we generate energy for our own use, and how we dispose of waste in a way that minimises energy use and maximises energy generation. We can also look at being better prepared for when industry opportunities are available to contribute to national as well as local energy security.

The county council is working on our own energy strategy to support our aspirations in this area. We are committed to a low carbon economy in Lincolnshire, but only at a price that is affordable to residents.”

Published: 7th April 2022