Liberal Democrats bid to Produce Green Energy and make Budget Savings with Green Investment

The Liberal Democrats on the County Council believe that investing in renewable energy is vital for our environment and economic future and that councils have a role to play in this. The first amendment we will be proposing at the budget meeting on Wednesday asks officers to carry out a feasibly study into the Council producing green energy from renewal sources.

• This would generate a regular income to fund basic services as has been done by a number of councils such as Eastleigh and Woking.
• The scheme would be likely to involve installing solar panels on Council owned buildings to produce electricity to raise income for the Council.

Cllr Simon Galton said, "Council officers are saying that during the next four years the County Council must make further savings of £30m on top of the cuts and spending reductions already agreed and in the pipeline. This will mean further cuts to frontline services which people use every day. Against this background it is essential that every stone is turned in an effort to raise money by using Council assets to protect key services to the public. We are concerned that the Conservatives will just want focus on cutting services to find the £30m identified in the Medium Term Financial strategy whereas we believe it requires a more innovative approach including income generation."

If the proposal gets the backing of Councillors at the meeting on Wednesday officers will be requested to examine what other councils have done to generate green electricity and sell it to the national grid and how Leicestershire County Council could replicate what has been achieved elsewhere.