GREEN energy for South Lakeland could soon be a switch away.

The local electric bill, which is going through parliament now, will allow people in South Lakeland to buy local and supply local energy.

The new law would create a new ‘Right to Local Supply,’allowing communities to sell locally and generate electricity, directly to local households and businesses.

The Green Pressure group behind the parliamentary bill ‘Power for People’ have been speaking directly with South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) about bringing the idea back to the county.

Power for People’s director, Steve Shaw is the leader of campaign group, who is pushing for the law to change.

He said: “We would like to thank South Lakeland District Council for supporting the Local Electricity bill and also to Green party Councillor Judy Filmore who presented the motion successfully to the council.”

Mr Shaw thinks if the law changes, then jobs could follow soon after. He said: “If made law, the bill would unleash the huge potential for new community-owned clean energy infrastructure and for this to boost local economies, jobs, services, and facilities in communities across the country.”

Councillor Giles Archibald, leader of South Lakeland District Council, has been championing green energy for some years and said he was excited by the new prospect.

He said: “The Local Electricity bill will empower and enable new community energy companies to sell energy that they generate directly to local people and this would help us to achieve our ambitious targets for carbon reduction. The revenues received by these new local renewable energy providers would be used to help improve the local economy and local services and facilities.”

Power for People is attempting to get a new bill passed into law, which would encourage and enable the local supply of electricity. The Local Electricity bill, was set to be considered under the Ten Minute Rule on April 28, however due to restrictions, it was postponed.

The bill was then presented by its lead sponsor Peter Aldous MP, for its first reading back in June. He said: “It will help address two great challenges. By empowering and enabling new community energy companies to sell energy that they generate directly to local people, it will help strengthen local economies. This is urgently needed given the economic shock of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will also accelerate our transition to clean energy, which is critical in avoiding the potential economic and ecological devastation of climate change.”

The next stage for this bill, will be its second reading on January 29.

The government had been encouraging home owners to generate green energy for a number of years.