RENEWABLES WILL HELP COUNCIL KEEP COSTS DOWN IN FACE OF ROCKETING ENERGY PRICES (Kirklees Liberal Democrats)

Kirklees Liberal Democrats <info@kirkleeslibdems.org.uk>

RENEWABLES WILL HELP COUNCIL KEEP COSTS DOWN IN FACE OF ROCKETING ENERGY PRICES

September 11, 2006 2:01 PM

Expensive forms of energy

Cllr Ann Denham (Lib Dem, Almondbury Ward and Shadow Cabinet Member for Environment & Highways) is calling for Kirklees to make sure it continues to embrace renewable forms of energy so that the council can keep costs down in the future.

The cost of an adult cremation in Kirklees is set to be increased by 13% in 2006/07 (£350.00 to £396.00) making Kirklees the 3rd highest charger in West Yorkshire after Leeds and Wakefield (1). However, more than half of that 13% increase (£25), Cllr Denham has learnt from officers, is purely to pay a 100% increase in energy costs.

Cllr Denham says:

"If this is a sign of the future, the council must continue to take action to free itself, as far as is practically possible, from non renewable and increasingly expensive forms of energy produced from fossil fuels like gas and oil."

"If the council fails to pursue this agenda, it will end up passing on these costs to residents. The cost of energy alone in the case of the cremation increase has turned a potentially modest 6.1% increase into a whopping 13.1% increase. That's 50% more! It is very concerning".

"In the coming years, I hope that we will see Kirklees further develop its strategy to reduce its reliance on increasingly overpriced energy derived from fossil fuels with an even greater shift towards sources that are 100% green or, at the very least, carbon neutral. A great deal of good work has been done so far in this area and this should be allowed to continue"

Cllr Denham concludes:

"Energy is a commodity that is used in all aspects of the council's businesses, from lighting and heating the buildings through to powering the incinerator on Leeds Road. It is a big issue for the future and one which we must plan for now."

"I am fully aware that the costs of some renewables would, initially, be as expensive if not a little more so than the current sources. However, in the long term, when the cost the traditional sources of energy, such as oil and gas, keep on getting more and more expensive, I want Kirklees to be ahead of the game not playing catch up!"