Support from local organisations and companies is mounting as our Final Demand campaign continues.
Birmingham Friends of the Earth are asking local groups, organisations and businesses to join us by signing our joint statement to show support for our Final Demand campaign.
Just six big companies control 99% of the household energy we use, and own more than two thirds of our power stations, keeping us hooked on ever-more expensive and imported fossil fuels, and hiking household bills – leaving people and the planet out of pocket while scoring record profits.
Politicians, in both Government and opposition, and even the energy company’s own regulator Ofgem, has questioned their power and dominance, but so far nothing has been done. Instead, the Government are planning to cut the competition by slashing support for new, clean, local energy schemes.
Next year the Government has plans to reform the electricity market – but as they stand the reforms will leave much the same: an energy market that only the big players can access and compete in; no commitment to the Committee on Climate Change’s goal of almost zero-carbon electricity by 2030; no serious plan to reduce energy waste and the green light to the Big Six’s plans for a new generation of gas-fired power stations – with consumers left to foot the bill for ever-increasing imports.
It’s time to make our Final Demand. Friends of the Earth is calling on the government to:
1. Ensure the review of the feed-in tariff scheme results in support for communities, householders and businesses to generate their own green energy through a stable and ambitious feed-in tariff scheme which raises the country’s level of ambition on local and community energy generation.
2. Commit to a public inquiry into the power and influence of the Big Six and a fair energy system, so that matters of vital importance to the countries wellbeing, such and energy security and affordable energy, can be examined independently and in public.
You can read the joint statement, which also gives more details of the campaign, here.
Since the government announced it’s recent decision to slash the feed-in-tariff support for local renewable energy schemes, we have also now produced a further joint statement for local companies and organisations to sign which addresses the specifics of the feed-in-tariffs cuts.
You can see this here.
This is who has signed up so far:
Birmingham Citizens Advice Bureau
Moseley Community Development Trust
SusMo (Sustainable Moseley)
If you are a local organisation, business or group and would like to join us in our campaign, email campaigns@birminghamfoe.org.uk
