- Energy Secretary to announce major expansion of Great British
Energy's scheme to cut bills for more schools and hospitals
- Miliband will also announce details of Government's Clean
Energy Jobs Plan, outlining how jobs in the sector will double
from 430,000 now to 830,000 by 2030, and how he will ensure they
are good jobs - with fair pay and the very best rights at work
- Miliband to take fight to Reform's anti-clean energy jobs
stance, saying “Reform's war on the future would betray every
young person in our country and every person yet to be born
More pupils in schools and patients in hospitals will benefit
from more money going into frontline services, as will announce today [Wednesday 1 October] an
expansion of Great British Energy's landmark scheme to install
solar panels in schools and hospitals, and a new initiative to
help cut bills for military sites.
Around 200 schools and 200 NHS sites, a third of NHS trusts, have
already been funded to have solar panels installed by Great
British Energy, a company owned by the British people, for the
British people.
The Energy Secretary will now announce an expansion of this
successful scheme, meaning that a total of around 250 schools and
over 270 NHS sites across the country will now be helped.
Commenting on the expansion of the scheme ahead of
his speech, said:
“This is the common-sense, patriotic case for clean energy that
you get with a Labour Government. Clean power cutting bills to
help pupils and patients.
“This is the difference a Labour Government makes; fighting
for working people through our clean energy mission.”
In his conference speech, Miliband will also unveil details of
the Government's forthcoming Clean Energy Jobs Plan, which
outlines how jobs in the sector will double from 430,000 now to
830,000 by the end of the decade, and how he will ensure that
clean energy jobs are always good jobs - with fair pay and the
very best rights at work.
The Energy Secretary will set out how 31 priority occupations
will benefit from this rapid expansion - from 25,000 more
engineers and researchers, to 26,000 more welders and
electricians, and 36,000 more construction workers.
Ahead of this plan, will use his conference speech to launch a
major initiative focused on boosting workers' rights. This
includes the introduction of a new Fair Work Charter which will
ensure that clean energy jobs are always good jobs.
It also includes plans to close loopholes that give offshore
renewable energy workers fewer rights at work than oil and gas
workers - including some not being covered by the minimum wage -
and ensuring worker representation on the boards of publicly
owned bodies like Great British Energy.
Commenting on the contrast between the Labour
Government's pro-worker vision of good clean energy jobs and
Reform's stance that they would “wage war” on clean energy, he
will say:
“What is so exciting about clean energy is that it can answer
that call for a different kind of economy…run for working people.
It offers the biggest opportunity for job creation for decades.
Skilled jobs in proud professions.
“And behind these statistics is the potential for each and every
one of these jobs to change the lives of working people and their
communities.
“Reform would wreck everything we are doing. They've said they
would “wage war” on clean energy. Let's spell out what this war
means. A war on the workers at the Siemens wind turbine factory
in Hull. A war on the construction workers building carbon
capture and storage in Teesside. A war on the working people of
Britain. Reform's war on the future would betray every young
person in our country and every person yet to be born.”
Ends
Notes to Editors:
- Schools and hospitals have been hit with rocketing energy
bills in recent years, costing taxpayers millions of pounds, and
eating into school and healthcare budgets. This has been driven
by the UK's dependency on global fossil fuel markets.
- Currently, it is estimated that only about 20 per cent of
schools and around 10 per cent of hospitals have solar panels
installed, despite the huge potential for the clean energy
technology to help save money on energy bills.
- Eleven schools are already saving on bills after switching on
their solar panels in June – and all schools and hospitals under
the scheme are expected to have their Great British Energy solar
power up and running by April.
- In total, the new and previously announced investment is
estimated to deliver lifetime energy bill savings of up to £490
million for schools and NHS sites over the next 30 years.
- Offshore renewable and low carbon workers working more than
12 miles offshore are currently not covered by the national
minimum wage, whereas offshore workers in oil and gas are covered
in all territorial workers.
- Reform UK's Deputy Leader has promised to “Wage war”
against clean energy investment -
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