Samantha Dixon MP joined Chester Sustainability forum to discuss the Government’s green and sustainable policies.
In her speech Sam said:
“Thank you for inviting me along today to talk about the Government’s work on sustainability, environmental policies and my own constituency-based efforts to tackle the pressing issue of climate degradation. May I say that as Patron of the Sustainability Forum, I feel greatly privileged to be here, speaking on a topic of such importance, and one that could never be understated.
“The General Election of July this year was fought on a platform of change, wholesale change across the board to fix the broken foundations of our country. This extends to all parts of civic life, each decision we take having real, tangible impacts upon all areas of society and all of us within it. This philosophy of change was apparent through each of the five missions for Government that we lay out to the electorate. Most significantly for us today, the intrinsic need to sever ties with the status quo on the environment, and usher in a new way of dealing with the plethora of challenges we face in this area. Becoming a clean energy superpower is a mission that will benefit us all in a number of different ways; lower energy bills, keeping more money in the pockets of working people, to hundreds of thousands of new, specialized jobs within the industry.
“As your elected representative, a proud Cestrian and most importantly a parent, I cannot stand by and watch as our environment, particularly our waterways are polluted by companies and executives who seemingly don’t understand the severity of their actions. I cannot stand by when statistics illustrate the fact that this country is one of the most nature depleted regions in the entirety of Europe. I cannot stand by when constituents of mine, our friends, families, neighbours and the people you meet day in day out are paying through the roof for their energy bills, at a time when such technology exists to remove our dependance on fossil fuels, and their importation. And nor can you. Which is why we are gathered today, to discuss these challenges, and the solutions on the table, being worked upon as we speak, designed to tackle them head on.
“To return to our missions for Government, I believe that making Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030 is of utmost importance within the context of modern global politics. Be that the various conflicts which threaten supply chains, or the ever-growing need to remove our reliance on the imports of a natural resource becoming more scarce by the minute. Ensuring energy independence from dictators such as Putin will not only bring down costs for us all, but ignite a new industrial revolution with an undying focus on the jobs and industries of the future. The Great British Energy Bill, alongside the newly established National Wealth Fund, will do just this. Not only will it result in cheaper bills, but it will create wealth and returns on investment for the taxpayer, making green energy a profitable, industry. Not only does it make fiscal sense, it will create 650,000 jobs in green technology, jobs stretching far and wide across the country. Not only does it create wealth and jobs and provide growth in the economy, but it shows a clear commitment to our duty as custodians of the planet, our civic duty to protect our natural environment and ensure it remains habitable for those who will come long after us.
“A lot of these technologies are not new, and when looking into the data surrounding how much of our energy and electricity production is from renewable sources, we are seemingly far ahead of our European neighbours. Last year was the greenest year on record in this country, almost 30% of our entire electricity production came from wind power, and according to data from the National Grid, we’ve reduced the involvement of coal in our generation mix by more than 97% in the last decade – notably closing the final coal power plant in the East Midlands earlier this year.
“But, as many of you will know, we cannot stop here. We must continue to invest in renewable energy, and into its research and development, to maintain and ultimately grow the sector, and achieve net zero by 2050. We must tackle this issue with vigour, and make sure we do not become complacent. I believe the same energetic, green thinking in this room is shared by our Government. Within 72 hours of his appointment at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Milliband lifted the –nine year long ban on onshore wind, ending a decade of missed opportunity for lower energy bills, more jobs and greater economic growth. The week after, he approved the building of three major solar energy farms with the capacity to produce the equivalent energy of two thirds of the solar panels installed on rooftops or the ground in the whole of 2023. Within another week, he had agreed a deal with the Crown Estate to start work on building new offshore wind farms. Elsewhere the manifesto contained commitments to building our capacity for marine energy technologies, as well as green hydrogen technology. While I know the views on hydrogen in this group are mixed, we can’t afford to ignore technology that could solve the challenge of generating green power in countries that lack the abundant renewable sources we enjoy in the UK.
“What this shows is not a policy of kicking the problem into the long grass, but tackling it head on and knowing the consequences of what will happen to our planet if we refuse to do so.
“Becoming a clean energy superpower incorporates all means of low-carbon energy, which is why I was pleased to see greater levels of investment into nuclear energy within last week’s budget, something successive governments of either party in this country have failed to do. Included in this was a £2.7bn settlement agreed for the further development on Sizewell C, as well as £500m of investment into subsidising the development of a nuclear power station in Suffolk. Alongside this was the announcement of a further significant investment into the research and development of nuclear fusion in order to build on our status as world leaders within this industry and ensure we remain so. Here in the North West we continue to have a large nuclear industry that provides good unionised jobs for thousands of hard-working people, including at the Urenco facility in Capenhurst.
“Another area of the budget that demonstrates our commitment to renewable energy is the increase in the windfall tax for oil and gas companies, rising from 35% to 38% with near immediate effect. Whilst we must ensure those who have spent their careers within these industries are being supported throughout a just transition, increasing the level of windfall tax is much needed, and will unlock greater levels of public investment in turn, through the National Wealth Fund. Alongside this came the announcement of further consultation into “scope three” emissions, meaning those emissions associated with the burning of oil and gas from these projects. This will better inform decision making on this matter going forward.
“Finally, we will not be issuing licenses to explore new oil fields, nor coal licenses, and fracking will be banned. None of these will bring down energy prices, neither will they provide energy security, nor will it help us achieve a fully clean energy supply by 2030.
“While it’s crucial we work on building a far greater capacity for renewable energy sources, of equal importance, is looking at how we can manage the ways in which we are currently polluting our atmosphere. A major factor within this is the role of Carbon Capture and Storage, an industry which has historically struggled in this country. This Government sees the potential benefits this technology has to offer us in our mission to net zero by 2050, and is keen to utilize it within our energy transition. That is why the Chancellor announced £21.7bn of funding over the next 25 years for three carbon capture projects and two transport and storage projects, across sites in Merseyside and Teesside. This was then bolstered last week in the budget, where Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a further £3.9bn for Carbon Capture and Storage projects in 2025-26 alone, something she said would help decarbonise industry, support flexible power generation, and capitalise on the UK’s geographic and technical strengths. But not only this, investment into carbon capture and storage technology will set us apart from our peers across the globe, and enable us to make world-leading advancements where others have been reluctant to grow.
“We need to be clear, in order to reduce the global average temperature rise we need global action from all nations. We can play our part by reaching our Net-Zero goals but to achieve the aims of tackling climate change all nations need to play their part. By becoming a world-leader in Carbon Capture and Storage we can ensure countries still reliant on fossil-fuels can reduce their emissions as fast as possible, while building up their renewable energy capabilities.
“Mitigating the direct impacts of the climate crisis on the daily lives of working people and the economy as a whole is a greatly important policy objective, and this thread can be seen throughout the budget. Included within it is £5bn of support over the next two years to support the transition towards a more productive and effective agricultural sector, against the backdrop of increasing temperatures and other issues associated with the climate crisis which will hit the sector disproportionately hard. This includes £60 million this year for the Farming Recovery Fund, designed to support farmers who have suffered uninsurable damage as a result of flooding. The extension of agricultural property relief in inheritance tax to include environmental land management, land managed under an environmental agreement with, or on behalf of, the UK government, devolved governments, public bodies, local authorities, or approved responsible bodies, will also be welcome news. An upwards of £400m investment into supporting tree planting and peatland restoration will go some way to reclaiming parts of our natural landscape that have been lost to environmental degradation. Furthermore, the Government will invest £2.4bn over the next two years in flood resilience measures, once more designed to protect the people and small economies in areas who are at risk of severe flood damage. This will support the building of new flood defences alongside the maintenance of existing assets to protect communities.
“Climate crisis mitigation extends far beyond this, and there is no greater visual indicator than what can be seen in the waterways of the UK. As needs no explanation, our rivers, ponds, lakes, streams and shores have become in some cases cesspits – polluted as a cost cutting measure by those contracted to provide us with clean water. This is something I feel particularly passionate about, having hosted five Summits of the Dee over the past eighteen months – designed to take local action and hold the water companies accountable. This ‘meeting of minds’ has led to the development of nature-friendly solutions, including Sustainable Urban Drainage Schemes to be delivered across Chester, delivering the urban-greening which leads to multiple biodiversity benefits.
“We must ensure that these practises end.. The Water (Special Measures) Bill will give the Government the power to intervene in such proceedings, by putting failing water companies under tougher special measures and ensuring the bosses of said companies will now face criminal liability for persistent lawbreaking. Furthermore, regulators will be able to bring robust charges against water companies and executives, including automatic and severe fines. Alongside this, the requirement that all sewage pumps are independently monitored will make sure a level of compliance that has so far been harder to obtain. I am pleased about the introduction of these measures, and I’m looking forward to seeing more better quality waterways, which provide real support for the delicate eco-systems that call such places home.
“The protection and restoration of our natural assets is vital, but this does not mean that we must forego plans for growth and getting Britain building once again. I believe these two can be, when considered in tandem and of equal importance, mutually beneficial to one another. This is shown clearly through the allocation of £70m of funding in 2025-26 to support growth through infrastructure and housing development while boosting nature recovery. This includes £14 million for the Nature Restoration Fund to offset the environmental impact of development, with developer contributions, and a further £13 million to expand Protected Sites Strategies in priority areas. Ensuring we get Britain building is imperative, but it cannot and will not be at the expense of our natural environment.
“It also must be done in tandem with ensuring that the homes we currently live in are energy efficient. Without this, people living in inefficient properties will pay higher energy bills than they otherwise should do. The Warm Homes Plan is designed to tackle this issue, with £6.6bn of additional funding over the course of the next parliament to lower energy bills and create well-insulated homes. This will cover the installation of energy saving retrofitting like loft and cavity wall insulation and access to green technologies like solar panels and heat pumps. Further to this, the Government has committed that all rental properties (social and private) will need to achieve a minimum EPC C rating by 2030. I know the importance of these policies, especially in regards to the housing stock within Chester and Neston, much of which falls into the category of historic housing, ie those built before 1919. Local efforts are important here too, and those currently being expanded by the Cathedral’s works team, striving to offer heritage skills training for the maintenance and retrofitting of historic properties, are highly important.
“I also welcome the Government’s commitment to reducing the risk of species extinction through restoring and creating more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2042. Further, following Natural England’s publication of the English Seabird Conservation and Recovery Pathway, I am pleased to see that the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be consulting on what actions it will take to protect seabird recovery, as well as marine life. Creating, restoring, and connecting wildlife-rich habitats helps reduce pressures on species and allows them to thrive.
“Transport is an area of real importance in tackling the climate crisis, ensuring reliable and sustainable public transport is at the centre of ensuring we end our reliance on the combustion engine of the personal car. At the forefront of this approach is Great British Railways, a publicly-owned company established to bring our railways back into public control, whilst providing a better service and lower costs to all of us. Alongside this, it was important to end long-standing rail strikes to ensure services are running fully. Again, this shows a Government approach of sensibility, a refusal to ignore the problems we face and an eagerness to sit down at the negotiating table and work out solutions to the problems we have inherited. But the establishment of Great British Railways and ending the strikes with fair pay settlements is only the first step of a journey towards full reformation of the railways. Included within its establishment, Great British Railways will introduce a powerful new passenger watchdog, the Passenger Standards Authority, to independently monitor standards and champion improvement in service performance against a range of measures. Great British Railways will reform the ticketing system, to make it simpler for passengers, drive innovation across the network, replace the current myriad of ticket types and maximise passenger growth. A statutory obligation for promoting rail freight will ensure that growth is powered through green public transport and retain the freight industry’s access to the network. Furthermore, greater investment into electrification of existing lines and building of new ones will be welcome news to those who understand the importance of railways in our mission to net zero. For instance, the long-awaited confirmation that HS2 is going to Euston illustrates the Government’s commitment to improving rail access.
“But public transport is not limited to the railways. The importance of bus services to so many across the country could never be understated, but in recent years many such services have been outsourced and cut, leaving people isolated from their social and working activities. In 2023, there were over 300 million fewer miles driven by buses in this country than there were in 2010. The Government is clear that this has to stop, ensuring that Local Authorities will have far greater controls to bring bus services back in house, as seen in Greater Manchester. This will mean profits stay in house, routes are prioritised based on the needs of local people and costs can come down.
“The Government has also committed to banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, and hybrid cars from 2035, meaning that from that date electric vehicles will be the only new cars on the market. Further investments were announced in the budget to support research and development in the proliferation of electric vehicle technology.
“On the topic of transport, it would be remiss to not mention the far greater tax on private jets, a 50% hike on taxes for those in the 1% who decide to travel in such an environmentally careless manner. Given that air passenger duty currently brings in around £3.8bn annually for the Government, this change will ensure greater taxes on those with the broadest of shoulders, and in turn greater public investment resulting from it.
“But in sum, the work of tackling climate change, restoring and protecting our natural environment and creating growth through the lense of green industry is only just beginning. It’s been a real pleasure to speak with you this evening on this subject, and I hope this has been helpful.
Thank you.”