Lobbying Success: EIS & Community Renewable Energy

Communities for Renewables and Regen SW are delighted to report a major success in our campaign to ensure that the government’s proposals to exclude “Feed in tariffs businesses” from the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Venture Capital Trusts (VCT) does not apply to social enterprises.

In July the Treasury published draft legislation that will mean that “community interest companies, co-operative societies, community benefit societies and Northern Ireland industrial and provident societies will continue to qualify” for the EIS and VCTs.

You can access a copy of the draft legislation and the accompanying consultation document here.

Since the announcement in the 2011 Budget that “Feed in tariffs businesses” would be excluded from the EIS and VCTs, Communities for Renewables – a partnership between Regen SW and Green Trust – has led an extensive campaign calling for social enterprises to be exempt from the measure; thereby ensuring that community renewable energy projects can continue to access this vital source of funding. 

Central to the success of the campaign was a broad partnership of experts and supportive organisations; through this we were able to mobilise significant political support and achieve the result we did. The success of the campaign is testament to the strength of this partnership and the hard work undertaken over the past 3 - 4 months.

Our campaign included:

• Writing to Justine Greening MP, the Treasury Minister responsible for environmental issues
• Meeting with officials from HMT and HMRC to discuss in detail the implications of the Budget announcement on community renewable projects
• Publishing a briefing paper on the issue, which was used widely to brief MPs, journalists, Officials and Advisors
• Mobilising cross-party political support; in particular we targeted those MPs with projects planned in their constituencies. Zac Goldsmith, Dan Rogerson, Ben Bradshaw, Tim Farron, Dawn Primarolo, Tom Greatrex and Peter Hain all wrote to the Minister using template letters we provided.
• Having received a less than enlightening response, Dan Rogerson wrote a second time to the Minister using a letter we provided.
• Briefing Nicola Blackwood MP, who raised the issue in Parliament today as part of Oral Questions to the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change
• Tabling three Parliamentary Questions urging the government to assess the impact the Budget announcement would have on community renewable energy projects
• Mobilising community renewable energy networks across the UK asking them to write to their local MP. We provided briefings and template letters to enable them to do this.
• Mobilising support from other supportive organisations who wrote to the Minister using template letters we provided.
• Meeting with Sarah Newton MP, who is currently looking into a Westminster Hall debate on community renewable energy
• Briefing the opposition frontbench
• Setting up a dedicated campaign website through which people could write to their local MP
• Briefing Special Advisors to the Chancellor
• Briefing DECC Special Advisors and Officials
• Briefing BIS Special Advisors and organising for Vince Cable to raise the issue with HMT in the context of the impact on the Ham Hydro project near his constituency
• Briefing journalists with view to a future article on community renewable energy

The fact that the government has adopted our recommendations in draft legislation is a significant step forward, however now is not the time to be complacent. July's announcement was the start of a consultation process. It is critical now that we all respond positively to the government's proposal to make sure that it remains in the legislation. The deadline for responses is 28 September 2011.

The current draft legislation shows just what can be achieved from a well coordinated lobbying campaign. I mentioned above the strength of the partnership we established; in light of this we would welcome ideas on where we can continue to work together to lobby on support for community renewables.

Contact Communities for Renewables at Regen SW on 01392 494399 or email help@communities4renewables.co.uk