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Giving residents the powers they need to work together to improve their communities can help more people get on board the eco-friendly bandwagon and lead to better results in the long-run, it has been claimed.
According to a new report from the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), rather than enabling individual households or businesses to carry out energy-efficiency projects, local authorities and the central government should encourage a more 'neighbourhood-wide approach'.
Not only would this help reduce costs, with communities able to bulk-buy energy-saving materials, but it would also encourage greater participation in work to cut back on carbon emissions and improve a community's quality of life in general.
"An integrated, neighbourhood-wide approach to upgrading our towns and cities allows communities to work together to agree local priorities, helping them save money, access smarter finance and even reap profits from community-owned infrastructure," explained SDC business commissioner Stewart Davies.
The report recommends that the government do more to help local communities access both financial and legal advice for green projects.
This comes as the Cotswold Journal has reported that local villages there are being consulted over plans to limit street light usage in order to cut back on energy consumption.
Posted by Mark Stephens
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