The UK government has launched a Low Carbon Communities Challenge to help local communities cut their carbon emissions and to encourage economic investment that delivers energy efficiency.
According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), authorities, charities and social enterprises can apply for a share of a GBP10m fund as part of the Low Carbon Communities Challenge to build on existing low carbon schemes.
The challenge offers the chance to be in the forefront of moving to a low carbon economy. The best 20 communities will each receive support to pay for real measures selected by the local residents themselves. These could range from a local biomass plant to retrofitting homes to electric car charge points, DECC said.
In return for technical and financial assistance, people living and working in the area will work alongside government and contribute to finding low carbon solutions from which the whole country will benefit. Successful outcomes from the project are expected to pave the way for a national roll-out of proven measures.
Ed Miliband, Secretary of Energy and Climate Change, said: “We’re searching for communities across the country to kick start the low carbon revolution. The Challenge is an opportunity for communities to lead the way so that everyone can play their part in tacking climate change and save money on fuel bills.
“The UK has the most ambitious emissions reduction commitments in the world and projects like this will develop the policies we need to be successful.”
A specialist support squad made up of partners with funding and expertise from inside and outside government, including The Energy Saving Trust, The Carbon Trust, WRAP and the third sector, will work together with each community to offer help on anything from negotiating in planning debates to identifying personalised low carbon answers.
DECC said that the 20 communities will act as national blueprints that will be used to inform government policy development and delivery. In addition to ongoing evaluation, UK research institutions are being invited to participate, to ensure independent analysis of the various communities’ progress.
Using its new GBP6m investment on energy and communities, the Research Council will be inviting academic proposals to come forward which would build on and contribute to the government investment.
For towns to be eligible they must demonstrate they are already making changes and are committed to developing both infrastructure and behaviour change that results in carbon reduction such as wind farms, electric car infrastructure or home energy refurbishments, said DECC.
In testing the success of different plans, the Low Carbon Communities will provide research and information on how communities can work together to cut emissions and fight climate change. Low Carbon Communities Challenge will cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is scheduled to start in January 2010. The challenge was revealed as part of the government’s Low Carbon Transition Plan.