COMMUNITIES should have the right to sell electricity directly to local households and businesses a local MP has said.

Jacob Young, Conservative MP for Redcar, has backed a new Bill in Parliament which, if made law, would create a new ‘Right to Local Supply’ of energy, allowing communities to sell locally generated electricity directly to local households and businesses.

The proposed new law, known as the Local Electricity Bill, is supported by a cross-party group of 224 MPs.

Currently customers can only purchase electricity from nationally licensed utilities. Mr Young and the Bill’s supporters say this means money people use to pay their energy bills is not helping to rebuild local economies and local clean energy infrastructure.

Mr Young said: “The Local Electricity Bill is a very forward thinking approach to the future of how the UK looks at the generation and supply of clean electricity.

"By enabling energy supply at the community level, we can empower and enable new community energy companies to sell energy that they generate directly to local people. This will provide extra competition, create jobs and facilities while simultaneously helping to strengthen local economies.

"This is exactly the kind of creative approach needed to help deal with the economic shock of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Bill will also help accelerate our transition to clean energy, which is critical in avoiding the potential economic and ecological devastation of climate change.

"I am delighted to support this Bill and I will do all I can to ensure it becomes law.”