UK & World News
The latest UK & World news stories from the Press Association.
Call to embrace community energy
00:05, Feb 12 2012
The Government must overhaul the "closed shop" energy market by embracing community schemes, according to a new report.
The study by social and economic think-tank ResPublica warns that failure to support the community sector will have serious consequences on the Government's climate change, emissions and fuel poverty targets.
It sets out a series of recommendations to open up the market which is dominated by the big six energy companies.
The Friends of the Earth-backed study - entitled Re-energising our Communities: Transforming the energy market through local energy production - argues that local communities should be at the centre of new projects to harness renewable energy.
Ed Mayo, ResPublica fellow and director general of Co-operatives UK, said: "The beauty of renewable energy that is co-operatively owned and community level is that it solves the twin issues of social acceptance and economic efficiency.
"This report is right to call for intelligent nudges to make it easier for people to come together, reversing decades of energy policies limited to big is beautiful.
"Everyone benefits if we can draw community energy production into the centre of the new energy economy."
The report calls for the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to recognise the need for a co-ordinated support programme for community energy.
It said that schemes such as Torrs Hydro - the UK's first community-owned hydropower scheme in New Mills, Derbyshire - could be replicated across the country.
The report's authors, Caroline Julian, senior researcher at ResPublica, and Julian Dobson, a research associate at the think-tank, criticised the energy regulator for not doing more to support renewable energy.
Pair set for child cruelty sentence 16:05, May 21 2012
A mother and stepfather who forced their 11-year-old son to live in a filthy converted coal-bunker have been put behind bars. more
Bomber kills 90 at military drill 15:05, May 21 2012
At least 90 soldiers were killed and dozens of others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a military parade drill in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. more
Mandelson denies deal with Murdoch 15:05, May 21 2012
Lord Mandelson has denied there was any deal between Labour and Rupert Murdoch's newspaper empire ahead of the 1997 general election. more
MacAskill defends Megrahi release 15:05, May 21 2012
Scotland's Justice Secretary has defended his decision to release the Lockerbie bomber almost three years ago as the only man convicted of the tragedy is buried in Libya today. more
Bomber kills 60 at military drill 14:05, May 21 2012
At least 60 soldiers were killed and dozens of others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a military parade drill in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. more
Olympic flame goes out during relay 13:05, May 21 2012
The Olympic torch went out for the first time during the London 2012 relay, organisers have confirmed. more
Missing children website relaunched 13:05, May 21 2012
An official website to help find missing and abducted children from the UK has been relaunched by the police's specialist child protection agency. more
Watchdog launches Hunt inquiry 13:05, May 21 2012
Westminster's sleaze watchdog has launched an inquiry into Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt following claims that he failed to register donations from media firms, it was revealed. more
38 soldiers killed in Yemen attack 12:05, May 21 2012
At least 38 soldiers were killed and dozens of others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a military parade drill in the Yemeni capital Sanaa. more
Miliband attacks social inequality 12:05, May 21 2012
Ed Miliband has accused the Government of taking backward steps on social mobility by allowing inequality to grow and denying bright youngsters from poor backgrounds the chance to succeed. more
The latest UK & World news stories from the Press Association.
