Environmental campaigners congratulate city MP

7.39.06pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 4th Apr 2005

The Sustainable Energy Partnership, whose members include all the major environmental organisations, today congratulated local MP, Don Foster, for backing an important Parliamentary Motion.

The Motion calls for permitted development status to be given to micro installation of renewable energy devices by individual householders. This would avoid the hassle and cost of having to obtain planning permission - thus encouraging more people to invest in micro energy systems.

At a time when emissions of CO2 are rising and the government is not on track to meet its targets, micro-generation is 'the new kid on the block'- it would help reduce fuel bills, emissions of CO2 and it will also engage consumers in averting climate change - the greatest issue facing the world.

Partnership Organiser Ron Bailey said:

"Climate Change sometimes seems so big an issue that there is little that individual consumers can do: but the installation of micro generation units is a step that many people can take. Giving such installations permitted development status will remove hurdles and cut costs.

"We therefore congratulate Don Foster MP for being in the forefront of current moves to promote micro- generation to reduce climate change."

Commenting Don said:

"The Government's warm words on climate change belie their appalling record of action, and more must be done. Allowing individual households to more easily make their own contribution to energy efficiency must be a priority, and my Liberal Democrat colleagues and I are delighted to support the Sustainable Energy Partnership.

"If only a tenth of the political energy, wealth and resources that have been expended on the war in Iraq had been devoted to the environmental threat, imagine where we could be by now.

"We should be under no illusion about the damage from climate change here in the United Kingdom. The cost of environmental damage and inaction to the economy in 2004 was a massive £67 billion based on government figures - over £1000 for every man, woman and child - the equivalent of 19 pence in the pound on income tax."