The Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Oldham Council, Cllr Howard Sykes MBE has written to Lord Wallace, co-sponsor of the Deregulation Bill, which has just had its Second Reading in the Lords.

In his letter, Cllr Sykes asks Lord Wallace, who sits as a Liberal Democrat in the House of Lords, to ensure “that the final bill contains the necessary clauses to permit Parish and Town Councils to be able to sell electricity that they produce through investment in renewable sources”. Other local authorities already have this power but Parish and Town Councils do not.

Cllr Sykes points out that this anomaly is “illogical” given that the generation of electricity from renewable sources is one of this Government’s highest priorities.

Cllr Sykes is confident that: “These changes in the legislation would allow these Councils to play a full part in the renewable energy revolution.

“5,000 community groups have already participated in renewable energy initiatives; so allowing 9,000 new Councils the power to do so could logically see a dramatic increase in such projects making a significant contribution to addressing climate change, and generating proceeds to spend on improvements in the local area”.

Both the National Association of Local Councils and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Local Democracy support Cllr Sykes’ position.

The legislative changes can be incorporated in the Deregulation Bill to:

• Classify Parish and Town Councils as ‘Local Authorities’ and so allow them to sell any electricity they generate.

• Grant the General Power of Competence to trade to these Councils