Green Alliance meeting in the Commons - positive, and fascinating, as always

This week I met with Alastair Harper and Frieda Metternich of the Green Alliance to discuss everything from the Paris 2015 Climate Change summit to Air Pollution, shale gas extraction, community energy projects, and several of their more recent pamphlets, including their ideas for better resource productivity for a more resilient economy.

Going forward, if I had to recommend one pamphlet that assists, and which concerns myself, many members of my Hexham constituency and the wider world is their assessment of the UK Climate plan for 2015 leading up to the crucial Paris summit. I recommend it:  http://www.green-alliance.org.uk/a_uk_climate_plan_2015.php

I have worked with the Green Alliance for over 7 years. They are an outstanding organisation. I will be working with them more over the coming 6 months.

Forestry has a future in the North

Egger in Hexham on Monday saw the brightest and best minds from forestry coming together to meet, listen and discuss the future of forestry; it is clear from the many experts present that there is great scope to expand the forestry and woodland in the north. There are realistic plans to increase the conifer capacity by
- planting in and around housing developments, enterprise and business parks
- mid hill forestry where the moorland meets the arable and low lying land or where land abuts forestry commission land
- possible new larger forests on sites to be identified and agreed by local councils and interested bodies.
No one is contemplating another Kielder Forest but a smaller forest on a scale of Slaley or Wark is not unrealistic or unattainable in my view. This may need a change in viewpoint by several people or public bodies and possible change in direction but that is what discussion and debate is about. The simple point is this - what are we prepared to do to ensure there is a forestry and timber business in the North well beyond 2030?
Fuller details here: http://www.confor.org.uk/NewsAndEvents/News.aspx?pid=23&id=2641
The event is also front page of todays Courant and reported at length in the Journal.

Our Forestry Needs are significant for our timber and biomass industries

I am an enthusiast for more forestry; this month we held a debate in the House, in which I was able to make a few short contributions. The full debate is here: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2014-07-02a.259.0&s=speaker%3A24962#g264.0
The short points are these:
- where are we going to plant more forests?
- is it agreed that such a forest has to be of commercial use - ie containing timber that can used by businesses as in Kielder Forest?
- and to what extent does government need to subsidise this planting, or can the market provide?
- do any constituents object to more forestry?
For my part I would welcome further forests in Northumberland.
There is a Forestry Summit to be hel;d at Egger in Hexham, on August 4th, and I shall be there.

Warm Up North - if you are worried about your heating bills read page 11 of the Hexham Courant

The cost of heating is a key issue for us in Northumberland. I speak more on fuel poverty in the House of Commons than pretty much any MP, having inherited an area with up to 20% fuel poverty. We have significant numbers of residents who are off grid, and many seeking practical ways to lessen their energy and heating bills. So I am really pleased to support the work of the Warm Up North team who are providing real assistance to local residents, whether they are in the private homes or rental sector.  This scheme is backed by all of of our local authorities, and Northumberland is leading the way.
Warm Up North is the largest and most advanced regional response to the governments Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation (the ECO). These measures are part of our efforts to provide practical local help to local people. This service is a genuinely good initiative and full credit to Northumberland County council for what they are doing.
There is a phone number, which itself is free, to call to make inquiries to see how you can cut your heating bills, both in the short and long term.
The number is 0800 294 8073
The courant this week has a full page advert at page 11 which I urge all to read. I will try and put the link up when it goes online.

The potential measures / assistance that is easily available includes:
- advice in how to switch energy provider if you are on electric
- tackling your home's energy efficiency. Did you know that insulation of your roof alone would save you on an average house up to £200 a year? Then there is cavity wall insulation and pipe covering to consider.
- a range of alternative heating solutions which get you out of the heating oil / LPG problems. Many people locally are now switching to cheaper solid fuel or green energy in its various forms. The most popular solid fuel is bio mass fuel logs, but there are plenty of firewood providers. There is no question that these fuel stoves are cheaper than heating oil and the other sources of heat, hence why many businesses and homes are converting.
I had the chance to raise this in the House this week, when we had a short debate on heating and energy. I was pleased to be able to support the Centre for Green Energy, a business which I visited, and helped open their new showroom in Anick Road, Hexham, in the summer.

Guy Opperman (Hexham, Conservative)

Does the Minister agree that the energy policy is being affected by green deal funding and the domestic renewable heat incentive programme, which, certainly in Northumberland, has had tremendous take-up? Businesses such as the Centre for Green Energy in my constituency are expanding because of that policy.

Michael Fallon (Sevenoaks, Conservative)

"I am glad to hear the good news from Hexham, because it is important to understand that those programmes are now up and running, and helping homes and businesses."

The full debate is here. It was secured by the very left wing MP for Glasgow North West, who was anxious to showcase Ed's gimmick, but who correctly identifies that all our communities are struggling with energy costs.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2013-10-09a.79.0&s=speaker%3A24962#g85.3

If you have not reviewed your hearing bills and how you can address them then there is masses of help available and I urge you to do so. 

Energy Bill - thoughts on a speech?

In 2 weeks parliament is debating the Energy Bill, and I am inviting contributions on the content of my speech on this issue. I can think of few more important Bills going through the parliament on a multitude of levels. It addresses national issues of huge importance, and local issues that matter tremendously to the local people I try to represent in Northumberland.
On the one hand is government's fundamental obligation to keep the lights on.
On the other is our desire to tackle climate change.
Whilst we have to acknowledge that all governments have to address declining oil reserves, the legacy that comes with nuclear power, the carbon impact of coal, the innate difficulties of fracking and the unintended consequences of using all our trees for biomass plants.
Balance that with our upset in rural Northumberland that we have random applications for wind farms that are, at best, inefficient and, at worst, an expensive eye sore.
Talk to the miners and there are the arguments from local Labour MPs that we need a return to more coal mining, whilst the citizens of Whittonstall and Halton Lea Gate would disagree.
Add in the problems of the rising prices of the most important energy of all - the petrol / oil and diesel that runs our vehicles and heats our homes... not to mention the thousands of my constituents who are off grid and relying on unregulated LPG.
Who would be the lead energy minister? In cabinet this is Ed Davey. He is a decent man, doing a very difficult job.

Some of you will have read previous speeches I have given on this issue: a full list of the speeches on fuel poverty, biomass, the actions of the heating oil companies, fracking, my clashes with Caroline Flint, Labour's shadow energy minister, LPG, wind farms, the weakness of the OFT, issues in rural Northumberland, off grid heating, open cast and lots more are set out on They work for you:
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/search/?s=%28%28energy%29%29+&pid=24962&p=1

But I have decided to take a different approach to the speech in a couple of weeks time.
I am meeting on Friday 24th with a number of the representatives of the heating oil buying groups in Northumberland to try and get their specific input. Bear in mind that Mike Murray and Lauren Langton have already become the unofficial key advisers to the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee and recently Lauren met with the Energy Minister, Michael Fallon.
I have specifically asked them to give me information - both for onward transfer to the Ministers and the OFT, and also for potential inclusion in an energy bill speech.
As always the creation of a 6-10 minute speech is a composite effort of a variety of influences but I welcome the input of constituents one and all. My email, as everyone I hope knows, is guy.opperman.mp@parliament.uk

Details on the Energy Bill can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/energy-bill