Latest news with #DESNZ
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Women more opposed to Miliband's net zero pylon push than men
Women are more opposed to Ed Miliband's net zero push for more electricity pylons than men, a new government focus group has found. A focus group commissioned by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) found that while 86pc of men were in favour of new pylons in Britain, just 69pc of women said the same. The study of 3,673 people was designed to test out new government messaging to persuade the public they should accept pylons in their area. Ministers are expecting demand for electricity in Britain to increase by more than 70pc in 2050, as the country moves away from gas boilers and fossil fuel-powered cars. Mr Miliband, the Energy Secretary, has said that ' persuasion is very important ' and that he will attempt to convince the public to support new development. However, pylons are unpopular among many voters, who argue they spoil views of the countryside and can be disruptive to local nature. The Conservatives and Reform are campaigning against them. The previous Conservative government commissioned research on which arguments in favour of them are more persuasive to voters. The focus group, carried out by the research firm Kantar, found that resistance to building pylons is more common among women. The company tested out various arguments, including that they help the battle against climate change, they can bring jobs to the local area and they will improve Britain's energy security. Respondents said the most persuasive argument was that pylons would improve job prospects, after they were told that building them could support between 50,000 and 130,000 full time jobs by 2050. When members of the focus group were told about potential job opportunities, the combined score of men and women who approved of pylons was 11 percentage points higher at 72pc. When they were told about the impact of new pylons on climate change, women were much more likely to support them, by 11 percentage points, while men were less likely to support them, by two percentage points. The data was collected to inform a new PR campaign by energy network companies, including the National Grid, to persuade the public of the benefit of new pylons. Mr Miliband is facing severe backlash to his plans from voters, including people living in rural areas that are at risk of falling to Reform. 'Overhauling the energy system' Both Reform and the Conservatives have called for electricity lines to be buried underground, not carried in the air. Rosie Pearson, who runs a campaign group against pylons in East Anglia, told The Telegraph that stronger opposition to them among women may be because they have 'more affinity to nature and the countryside and British heritage'. She said that people who are affected by pylon plans also had concerns about house prices, the heritage of local areas and 'businesses that could go out of business'. 'It's not just the views that trouble people,' she said. 'The views are spoiled, but directly-affected people have far more serious concerns.' A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesman said: 'The report found the majority of people support new electricity network infrastructure, particularly in light of the economic and environmental benefits. 'We need new infrastructure to protect family and national finances with energy security, through clean homegrown power we control. 'We are already overhauling the energy system, building the grid we need and connecting new power projects to reach our clean power by 2030 target. 'We have set out plans to ensure that people benefit from living close to new transmission infrastructure, including energy bill discounts and guidance on funding for community projects.'
BBC News
6 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Energy grants for low-income households in Hull
Low-income households in Hull can apply for funding to make their homes warmer and cheaper to City Council said it had secured £3.4m from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to help reduce fuel poverty and enable eligible residents to make energy-saving home money will be allocated over a three-year period, officials scheme covers things like wall, loft and underfloor insulation, air-source heat pumps and solar panels. Councillor Paul Drake-Davis, portfolio holder for housing, said: "Even though we're currently experiencing warm, summer weather, it's really not that long until things turn colder, so we want to let residents know that there is help available ahead of the autumn and winter."Because there is limited funding available, we need to make sure it's used wisely to help us support those who need it most," he be eligible certain criteria must be met and people can find out more and apply via the government website or by contacting the council's warm homes team. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Exact date households can qualify for £150 energy help this winter
The Warm Home Discount is worth £150 and is paid directly to your energy supplier - so you get it as a discount straight off your energy bill, or as credit The exact date you need to be claiming benefits by to get the Warm Home Discount later this year has been revealed. The Warm Home Discount is worth £150 and is paid directly to your energy supplier - so you get it as a discount straight off your energy bill, or as credit if you're a prepayment customer. It is normally paid in October or November. In order to receive the Warm Home Discount, you must be claiming one of the following benefits on August 24: Guaranteed credit element of Pension Credit Income Support Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance Income-related Employment and Support Allowance Housing Benefit Universal Credit "Savings Credit" part of Pension Credit The Warm Home Discount is paid automatically in England and Wales. If you live in Scotland, the payment is also automatic if you get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit. For the other benefits listed above, you'll need to apply through your energy supplier. There is no equivalent scheme in Northern Ireland. It comes after the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), which is charge of funding the Warm Home Discount, confirmed it will remove the high-cost-to-heat threshold for the Warm Home Discount in England and Wales. This is a score that determined whether a property is considered to have high energy costs, as this used to be a qualifying criteria for getting the Warm Home Discount in England and Wales. DESNZ estimates the total number of households that will receive the discount next winter could rise by 2.7 million, to an estimated 6.1 million. Other ways to cut your energy bill If you're struggling, your first step should be to contact your energy provider and ask what help is available. You should ideally do this before you fall behind on a payment. Some of the tailored support you may be offered includes a payment plan, payment breaks and affordable debt repayments. It is also worth asking them if you're definitely on their cheapest deal. If you're a prepayment energy customer and you're worried about running out of power, you should be able to access emergency credit. This is usually worth between £5 and £10, but some may offer more than this - for example, Utilita gives customers up to £15. You should also check if your energy firm offers hardship funds or grants that you don't need to pay back. For example, the British Gas Energy Trust offers help worth up to £2,000. In the winter, there are Cold Weather Payments worth £25 that are issued when the average temperature is recorded as, or forecast to be, 0C or below over seven consecutive days. This is available to people on certain benefits. There are also Winter Fuel Payments worth up to £300 for pensioner households. Finally, the following charities can offer you support if you are struggling to pay for your energy, or if you are in energy debt:
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Ed Miliband's ‘eye-watering' wind subsidy increase to hit energy bills
Ed Miliband will ramp up 'eye-watering' subsidies for offshore wind farms to tempt developers to build in UK waters – adding costs to household bills. Under the revised scheme, Mr Miliband will offer international developers up to £116 per megawatt hour for the power they generate from the farms – far above the wholesale price of power, which last year averaged around £72. The extra money will be added to power bills via a levy, inflating costs for households, industry and businesses. The levy adds an estimated £24 a year to the average domestic power bill via a system known as contracts for difference. The sum was already expected to rise as the number of offshore and onshore wind farms expands and more solar plants are built. The higher prices will accelerate that increase. The subsidies will also inflate costs for UK industry and business, which already face some of the world's highest energy costs. The move comes as Mr Miliband faces a growing struggle to fulfil his pledge to decarbonise the UK power grid by 2030. He is also facing increasing political challenges, with Nigel Farage's Reform UK warning it would scrap new offshore wind contracts if it wins power. A report published by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) said the sharply increased prices were essential to overcome rising costs faced by offshore developers. 'Renewable technologies continue to face macroeconomic uncertainty and supply chain constraints – this is particularly true for wind technologies. 'The Government is continuing with the strategy of setting strike prices meaningfully above expected [electricity market] clearing prices.' Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, said: 'These are eye-watering prices – the highest in a decade and way above the average cost of electricity last year. 'And this is before the hidden extra costs of grid, storage and wasted wind – all of which end up on our energy bills. 'Ed Miliband can't cut bills by £300 like he promised because he will always put his net zero zealotry above the economy and the cost of living. Cheap energy must come first.' The price rise for wind developers follows the disastrous cancellation of key wind farm projects seen as essential for the UK to meet its renewables and decarbonisation targets. The massive Hornsea 4 wind farm was cancelled by Ørsted earlier this year, arguing it could never be profitable. Hornsea had a capacity of 2.4 gigawatts (GW) – one of the largest yet planned but the company said the £85 per megawatt hour subsidy on offer from the Government was too low. Another project, Norfolk Boreas, was also cancelled by developers Vattenfall due to low prices. 'Definition of insanity' If Mr Miliband wants to meet his targets he must triple offshore wind to about 50GW by 2030, double onshore wind to 30GW and nearly triple solar power to 47GW. But the rising cost of borrowing for renewable developments plus inflation across the industry is putting all such targets in jeopardy. Ashley Kelty, from Panmure Liberum, said the cancellation of such major projects had spooked Mr Miliband into offering ever higher prices – but he predicted it would not work. 'It's lunacy to think it could meet his targets. Supply chain constraints and rising costs means the build-out will be even slower. 'These high prices will also drive up bills. Renewables are not cheap by any metric. The gas needed to supply stable baseload will have to be imported at high cost – which is also passed through to consumers. This is the clear definition of insanity.' A DESNZ spokesman said the newly published 'strike prices' were the maximum that might be paid and the auction – when developers offered their own prices – could see lower final prices. 'Our recent reforms will ... secure the best possible price for consumers while securing the clean energy we need to get us off the fossil fuel roller-coaster,' he said. Richard Tice, Reform's energy spokesman, said: 'With inflation these offshore wind prices mean a 15pc increase on last year. 'They are also well over double the forecast six months ago by the climate change committee. The cost of getting to net zero will be much higher than even my worst fears. Reform will stop this negligent madness by scrapping net stupid zero.' Kathryn Porter, an energy analyst, said: '[Mr Miliband] keeps insisting that renewables are cheap. After 35 years of subsidies, offshore wind is now massively more expensive than using gas to generate electricity. 'This is definitive proof that renewables are not cheap, and will not lower bills. If the auction clears anywhere near these maximum levels consumers will be facing 20 years of huge additional levies loaded onto their bills.'
Telegraph
7 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Civil Service anti-Islamophobia training led by group who say ‘Islamist' is discriminatory
Civil servants were given anti-Islamophobia training by a group that once claimed the word 'Islamist' was discriminatory. Mandarins at Ed Miliband's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) took part in an hour-long course in November at a £350 cost to the department. It comes after Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, set up a working group to help her draw up a definition of Islamophobia, despite fears of a chilling effect on free speech. The training session for civil servants was delivered by the Anti-Islamophobia Working Group (AIWG), which claims to be an 'apolitical' coalition of civil society groups and experts. In its report Strategies for Eradicating Islamophobia, published last year, the AIWG argued that referring to 'Islamists' or 'jihadists' could stigmatise all Muslims. It said: 'Public officials should refrain from using terms like 'Islamists' and 'jihadists' when referring to criminals who commit any form of crime, to promote responsible and non-discriminatory language. 'Using these terms to describe criminals can lead to stigmatisation and the unjust association of an entire religious or cultural group with criminal behaviour. Instead, public officials should opt for more precise and neutral language to describe criminal activities. 'By doing so, they can avoid perpetuating negative stereotypes and help maintain a more inclusive, fair and informed public discourse.' The cost and provider of the training session emerged in response to a written question by Kevin Hollinrake, the new chairman of the Conservatives. Michael Shanks, a junior DESNZ minister, said: 'DESNZ is committed to creating a culture where all colleagues feel valued and supported, in line with our 'Inclusive' value.' 'Gravely concerning and warrants urgent action' In response to an earlier question from the Tories, Mr Shanks said the Government 'cannot share the content' of the AIWG workshop because it was given by an external provider. Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy secretary, said: 'It is deeply concerning that DESNZ is not prepared to share the content of this session. 'Without transparency there is a risk that training is embedding deeply contested ideology into the civil service, which is meant to be impartial. 'Frankly, officials' time would be better spent on bringing down the cost of energy bills.' Mr Miliband had vowed to make Islamophobia an 'aggravated crime' in an interview with Muslim News at the 2015 general election when he was Labour leader. In its report last year, the AIWG also heavily criticised Suella Braverman, the former home secretary, over her remarks about the weekly pro-Palestine demonstrations that followed the Oct 7 attacks and the subsequent Israeli bombardment of Gaza. 'The then Home Secretary Suella Braverman branded [the] pro-Palestine demonstrations as 'hate marches', arguably inciting division and emboldening far-Right sentiments,' it said. 'This, coupled with the surge in Islamophobia, is gravely concerning and warrants urgent action.' The group has also pressed ministers to define Islamophobia and appeared to suggest its own definition. 'Islamophobia is a stereotypical and negative perception of Muslims, which may be expressed as hatred of Muslims,' the AIWG said. A committee with 'extreme views' 'It is prejudice, bias, hostility, discrimination, or violence against Muslims for being Muslim or Muslims institutions or property for being Muslim or perceived as Muslim. 'Islamophobia can manifest as a form of racial, religious, national origin, and/or ethnic discrimination, bias, or hatred; or, a combination thereof.' Ms Rayner has appointed a five-strong panel to draw up its own definition to be applied across the public sector despite fears it could prevent politicians speaking up about Asian grooming gangs. The Conservatives have also accused her of appointing a committee with 'extreme' views. The working group is chaired by Dominic Grieve, a former Tory cabinet minister, and is meeting in secret, with members of the public not able to offer their views. Mr Grieve once praised a report published in 2019 which called the discussion of ' grooming gangs ' an example of 'anti-Muslim racism'. A DESNZ spokesman said: 'This spending adheres to EDI guidance published in May 2024 by the previous government. 'We are focused on ensuring every pound spent of taxpayer money delivers for the public.'
