News / bristol city council
Ambitious City Leap project presses ahead despite concerns
Bristol City Council is ploughing ahead with an ambitious plan to transform the city’s energy sector despite critics, who say it is too financially risky.
The Labour-controlled cabinet approved plans to take its City Leap project forward on Tuesday.
The project aims to build an “interconnected, low carbon, smart energy system” that provides low-cost energy and helps the city reach its goal of going carbon neutral by 2030.
is needed now More than ever
But it relies on finding an outside investor willing to partner with the council’s loss-making energy company, Bristol Energy, and to make at least £1billion of infrastructure investment.
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Cabinet approved spending of £2m to identify a “strategic partner” to create the City Leap Energy Partnership, a joint venture with Bristol Energy. It also approved the use of another £2m to “prepare and demonstrate the opportunities which will arise from” City Leap.
Deputy mayor for finance Craig Cheney said the project was “probably a world first” and “possibly the biggest thing” the city would do for decades.
“It’ll change the lives of Bristolians forever more,” he told members.
Cabinet member for energy Kye Dudd said it aimed to link environmental justice with social justice by fighting fuel poverty, decarbonising the city’s energy system, and getting a slice of the £870m that leaves the city every year to pay for “rip off” energy bills.
But Geoff Gollop, the Conservative chair of the council’s 11-strong overview and scrutiny management board, said members, while unanimous in their support of the aims of the project, were torn over the risks involved and the reliance on Bristol Energy.
Some members felt it was unwise to rely on Bristol Energy
Three members thought it was “unwise” to rely on Bristol Energy when they discussed the matter on Monday, April 1, he said.
“One view was that we had to use Bristol Energy in that role as the only way of saving the company,” Gollop added.
“Four members believed City Leap should be supported. Three members believe these were not the risks that a cash-starved local authority should be taking.”
Dudd said he found some of the criticism from opposition councillors “predictable”.
Partnering with an outside organisation was necessary for Bristol to become carbon neutral by 2030, he said.
He added: “It’s probably the only way we can deliver this and deliver the mass change we need in the energy system in Bristol to help us towards that carbon neutrality agenda.”
The council expects to select a partner organisation from among the more than 180 from around the world that have expressed an interest in investing in Bristol’s energy infrastructure.
The City Leap prospectus, to which they responded, did not make any mention of investment in Bristol Energy, into which the council has so far sunk an estimated £27million.
It offered up a series of investment opportunities in a variety of energy technologies including heat networks, marine energy and hydrogen source development.
Scrutiny members urged the council to urgently develop a structure for governance of City Leap, with proper involvement of scrutiny and effective flow of information.
Amanda Cameron is a local democracy reporter for Bristol
Read more: City leaps ahead
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