Olly Gough

Energy standing charge options coming, but they might not cut bills The regulator's plans could be in place by the end of January, but it warns total bills won't fall.

A baffling decision from Ofgem this morning. Reform to standing to charges would be welcome if it lowered bills for the low-income households, but this proposal will not do that. Both industry and consumer groups will be angry today. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Cutting VAT would be expensive, disproportionately benefit high-end users, and incentivise energy use. What we need is targeted support for low-income households not shallow savings across the board. If cutting standing charges is also more popular in public polls, then it's a no-brainer, surely?

Fantastic report. We need to give communities greater control over public services, and directly elected mayors with strong personal brands must be key to this power shift. However, devolution needs to tempered by the need to fulfil national infrastructure ambitions and redress regional inequalities

The 2024 Energy Flow Chart shows:

⚡ Decarbonising the grid isn’t enough
🏘️ Heat still runs on fossil fuels
🚗 Transport is barely electrified
💸 Energy waste hurts working families

Labour must lead a whole-system transition — fair, fast, and public. shorturl.at/oTQKZ

Zonal pricing - Dieter Helm Zonal pricing has become the subject of a classic lobbying war, with all the usual games being played. On the one side, we have Octopus, hitting the major newspapers, lobbying journalists, writing op-...

dieterhelm.co.uk/energy-clima...

Dieter Helm hits the nail on the head again. In insulating industry and consumers from the impact of zonal pricing, the government have already guaranteed the policy would not bring intended benefits. If the REMA determines zonal is the way forward, it would be a huge blunder. 🔗⬇️

Looks great!

Written statements - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.

This is huge news for major infrastructure in the UK. The government has far gone beyond what many expected and will drop the statutory requirement to consult at pre-app! This could scrap much irrelevant box-ticking blocking the infra pipeline. questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...

The research also shows that the wider public are much more likely to respond well to reasonable jargon-free language which emphasises the tangible benefits which climate action will have for them and celebrates the progress all of us already make recycling and cutting waste. 2/2

Interesting research from @moreincommonuk.bsky.social suggests that disruptive protest and the actions of @just-stopoil.bsky.social will only ever convince the highly-educated urban progressives who not only already agree with them, but routinely overestimate public support for their beliefs. 1/2

Tech firms call for zonal electricity pricing in UK to fuel AI datacentres Report urges ministers to overhaul market to increase rollout in areas that have ample power generation

You can have a radical redesign of energy markets, or you can rapidly upscale investment in new gen to reach CP2030. You can't have both.

www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Solar power developers held up by search for buried relics Green energy industry says requirements for archaeological trench-digging are hindering efforts to reach 2030 generation target

Why are archaeological investigation requirements holding up new solar? Their subterranean impact is v. limited. Let's get rid of them, or at the very least provide consistent and proportional guidance. www.thetimes.com/business-mon...

As Martin Wolf, @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social, @johnvanreenen.bsky.social & I all said at the time: the markets were *begging* us to borrow and spend.

An appalling act of economic and fiscal irresponsibility by Osborne and Cameron that will cost us for decades to come.

Excited to see what the new community Right to Buy will look like and how it can be used along with the High St Rental Auction where I am in #Barnet, where too many pubs and community spaces are closing. Huge opportunity for local VCSEs

This white paper could change the face of Britain forever. Power will be taken away not just from Westminster but District Councils and given to directly elected popular leaders with personal brands and programmes to develop their regions. I want to know: what will it do for our two biggest parties?

Just picked this classic up for only 35p! Interesting how often you hear commentators replicate the early 20th c. new liberal analysis of a 'crisis' of 'decay' of liberalism today, despite not sharing the NLs idealist/organicist philosophy.