“Research highlights business has little or no knowledge of “green policies”
County Cllr Julie Gibson, the Labour Group Shadow Spokesperson for Environment and Climate Change has called on the Conservative Administration at Lancashire County Council to do more to promote its net zero and green energy policies. Her comments come as research by the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce highlighted businesses in Lancashire are unaware of the government’s net zero policy, and many have little confidence in current “green” policies.*
Cllr Gibson said: “Almost a fifth of respondents to a survey of 1,000 UK businesses were from North & Western Lancashire – with many citing the government’s lack of coherence on green policies as an area of concern. As part of its work with the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), the Chamber has been consulting with businesses across Lancashire on their plans for net zero and the introduction of green skills. The results showed that many are confused by the government’s plans or have no knowledge of them and do not have the funding or capacity to introduce them.”
Cllr Gibson continued: “Although the results make for some grim reading, we should not be surprised given this governments back tracking on its commitment to tackling climate change. Last July I highlighted how the PM Rishi Sunak, was rolling back on his own commitment to green policies, with the announcement that the ban on all diesel and electric cars from 2030 had been pushed back to 2035. He also backtracked on the commitment to install heat pumps and reduce reliance on current gas resources. Even the Governments own climate change committee, as of June 2023, questioned their commitment to achieving net zero by 2030. With this constant “flip flopping” of Government policy, it is not surprising that many Lancashire businesses are confused and bewildered by the Government’s stance.
Cllr Gibson added “Energy and the environment should be one of the key pillars of policy for the Government but seeing that a large majority of Lancashire Businesses have little or no knowledge of them is a problem. We now need a clear and coherent framework from the Government, and a commitment from the Conservative Administration at County Hall, to engage with businesses in Lancashire so that they know what is expected of them.
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