Government urged to publish Bonfield Review and ‘prioritise’ energy policy
A Labour MP has criticised the Government’s failure to prioritise energy policy since Prime Minister Theresa May’s Cabinet reshuffle – and called for immediate publication of the endlessly postponed Bonfield Review.
Steve McCabe, Labour MP for Birmingham Selly Oak, told Business Green that the Government are growing increasingly “disillusioned” with energy policy.
“As far as Theresa May’s administration is concerned, ‘home energy policy’ and ‘carbon emissions’ have failed to make it onto the Government’s list of priorities,” he said.
Mr McCabe stressed the urgency of the long-delayed Bonfield Review – which was initially due for publication in April 2016, and then delayed to make way for the European Union (EU) Referendum.
So far, the Review, which was first controversially announced on the same day the Government announced it would stop issuing new loans through the Green Deal energy efficiency financing scheme, has been postponed by more than six months.
“We need a commitment to a radical and diversified energy policy which includes a mixture of investment incentives, loan schemes, reforms to property law and clear communication with homeowners. – The Bonfield Review promised to be the catalyst for delivering such initiatives,” he said.
“It’s high time the Government published it before they embark on any more expensive and confusing energy policy U-turns,” he added.
In response to Mr McCabe’s criticisms, a spokesperson for the recently-formed Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has said: “This is an independent review that was jointly commissioned in 2015 by the former Secretaries of State for DECC and DCLG, Amber Rudd and Greg Clark. The review is ongoing and its recommendations will be published in due course.”
Terms of reference for the Bonfield Review can be accessed and downloaded here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bonfield-review-terms-of-reference
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