Regrettably, the long-standing Tory administration at South Cambs District Council has decided to axe one of the council’s most successful ventures, the Sustainable Energy Committee – formerly the Climate Change Working Group.

This group was the catalyst for the Sustainable Parish Energy Partnership (SPEP), an initiative which has helped villages and their residents to share useful information about more efficient household energy consumption, and to encourage village based initiatives with ‘multiplier effects’ that can trigger changes in the choices people make about their energy consumption.

While the council has committed to retaining SPEP, the loss of the Sustainable Energy Committee means the loss of a dynamic forum for sharing information and challenging the council to do its best.

Meanwhile, the administration has decided to introduce a second Scrutiny and Overview Committee. Like the existing Scrutiny and Overview Committee this will be chaired by a member of the ruling group, therefore lacking the independence which would give ‘scrutiny’ more credibility. Uniquely, this committee will also involve an allowance paid to the chairman and vice chairman – so an added cost for the council, against its earlier assurance to residents that allowances would not rise.

More about what the Sustainable Energy Committee has achieved is outlined here.

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