Burnham’s promise to establish green power company for Manchester welcomed by campaigners

Date: 22 March 2017

Andy Burnham’s manifesto for standing as Manchester’s mayor has included the promise to, “establish a Greater Manchester Energy Company, generating power using green technology and reducing energy bills.”

The pledge was welcomed by the campaign group Energy Democracy Greater Manchester which was formed at the start of 2016 to push for the creation of an energy company that  serves the needs of the people of Greater Manchester. The group has spent the last year consulting with communities across Greater Manchester discussing the potential of this idea and published a series of demands for what the company could look like base on these discussions.

Laura Williams, from Global Justice Now, one of the groups involved in Energy Democracy Greater Manchester said:

“It’s a positive development that Andy Burnham has taken heed of the people in Manchester who have been campaigning hard for the creation of an energy company that doesn’t rip off customers while generating clean and sustainable power. People are tired of being relentlessly ripped off by the Big Six power companies and the threat of climate change means there’s an urgent need to switch to renewable energy sources.  

“The only thing that’s missing from Andy Burnham’s pledge is any mention of how that company is owned and run. We’re calling for a company that will be publically owned, democratically run and progressive in its pricing and working practices. We’re looking forward to Greater Manchester’s sustainability hustings set for the 28th April at Friends Meeting House to find out more from Burnham about what this energy company could look like.”

Energy Democracy Greater Manchester are currently working with a group of local campaigners to organise a hustings with each of the Mayoral candidates that they will use as an opportunity to drill down into the plans of Andy Burnham and any other interested candidate for the energy company.