Labour to unveil Green Prosperity Plan in Tees Valley

Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan is designed to grow Britain’s economy, cut energy bills once and for all, and make Britain energy independent.

It is being set out by Shadow Energy Secretary Ed Miliband who reiterated plans for a national energy supplier as well as a windfall tax on oil and gas giants to help fund the changes.

Mr Miliband, who is setting out an eight-point plan for investing in the green economy of the Tees Valley, said: “Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan is about investing in British industries and communities.

“By backing our ports and upgrading our infrastructure, we will support thousands of well-paid jobs and apprenticeships for local people. 

“The Tees Valley can be a clean energy powerhouse for our country and Labour is committed to doing everything we can to make it happen.”

Labour has said the policy will have the following key benefits for the Tees Valley, including:

• Tackling the cost-of-living crisis by saving families up to £300 off their average annual energy bills
• Supporting the creation of up to 35,000 new jobs in the North East of England, including many thousands in the Tees Valley by investing in British industries, bringing good jobs to local communities
• Upgrading and insulating thousands of homes, further cutting energy bills for families and slashing fuel poverty

Shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband (Image: PA)Alongside investing in ports, Mr Miliband has confirmed that a Labour Government will back investments in clean energy in the area through its British Jobs Bonus.

The idea is to attract tens of billions of pounds in investment from the private sector by rewarding clean energy developers who invest in good jobs and supply chains in industrial heartlands.

Most read:

• Thornaby ASDA to fix pothole after rubber ducks appear
• Mother charged after death of baby in bath in Chilton

• Residents react to Norton high street, Stockton works

Mr Miliband said: “From the British Jobs Bonus to our support for accelerating new nuclear, to our Warm Homes Plan, to Great British Energy, our publicly-owned energy company to invest in clean power, a Labour government is determined to work in partnership with the people of Tees Valley to create the good jobs that people have a right to expect. 

“This is a model of what Labour will achieve in every community across our country, investing in Britain so we can grow our economy, and putting an end to fourteen years of decline under the Conservatives.”

Get more from The Northern Echo and stay informed with subscription. Click here to find out more.

Labour’s plan will include investments to drive local and economic growth, with a National Wealth Fund to help create up to half a million jobs in Britain's industrial heartlands, giving opportunities to plumbers, electricians, welders, and other workers.

It argues historic investment in working people and their communities is the only way out of the high energy bills, energy insecurity, and the doom-loop of low growth, high taxes and crumbling public services under Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives.

A large part of that investment will be paid for by a windfall tax on oil and gas giants, so those who have profited from energy insecurity pay for the investment needed to rebuild industry, lower bills and make sure the UK is never at the mercy of dictators like Russia’s president Vladimir Putin again.

Chris McEwan (Image: Contributor)Labour candidate for Tees Valley Mayor, Chris McEwan, said: “Right now, the people of the Tees Valley are simply not seeing the benefit of investment into our region. 

“With Labour’s Green Prosperity Plan, not only will we see tens of thousands of new jobs in green industries, but it’ll also cut the cost of their energy bills.

“With a Labour Mayor and a Labour Government, we can get the Tees Valley’s future back.”