Purpose

Since 2011, the Council has had in place a Cooperation Agreement with Bath & West Community Energy (BWCE). The Agreement has enabled strong partnership working between the Council and BWCE due our aligned vision for increasing renewables across the district.

The Agreement was last renewed in 2016. This report proposes the renewal of the Agreement for a further five years, up to 2028. The draft Agreement has been updated to reflect current Council policy and strategies. 

Decision

The Cabinet Member agrees that the cooperation agreement between B&NES and Bath and West Community energy should be renewed for a further 5 years, up until 2028.

Reasons for the decision

Bath and North East Somerset (B&NES) Council and BWCE have had a Cooperation Agreement since 2011 when BWCE were first set up. The intention of the Cooperation Agreement is to signal the joint collaborative working relationship we have with BWCE. It declares through a formal, public document that we have a shared vision and agree to co-operate to identify and bring forward projects and support each other wherever possible. The renewal of the Cooperation Agreement means that the Council and BWCE agree to continue to work together to identify; energy projects within the district, opportunities for joint research about community-based projects, opportunities for people in the area to invest and potentially secure a return from projects and other funding opportunities.

The agreement supports us in our commitment to providing the leadership necessary for the district to achieve net zero by 2030.

Alternative options considered

The Cooperation Agreement is not an exclusive agreement, and the Council can choose to pursue other options should it be in its interests to do so and would positively consider any other organisation’s proposals that achieved the same aims.