Council leader calls for residents who live near windfarms to get free electricity

A council leader has said people who live near wind farms should be given free electricity as he backed calls for an overhaul of rules surrounding renewable development.

East Lothian councillor Norman Hampshire spoke out as he backed a motion calling on the UK and Scottish Government to give more power over decisions on energy projects to local authorities.

The cross party motion, introduced by Scottish Greens councillor Shona McIntosh, at a meeting of the council this week, called on council leader Hampshire to write to the governments urging them to create a planning strategy for renewable development, improve community benefits and involvement and review the effectiveness of the Energy Consent Unit (ECU) which currently grants permission for projects, including battery energy storage sites, without requiring council approval.

Councillor Hampshire, who seconded the motion, said East Lothian had become a ‘blank canvas’ for renewable developers who are not restrained in the way housing developers are by local constraints.

He said the ECU was established to determine locations for power stations rather than today’s race for renewable sites.

Hampshire said: “I am a big supporter of renewables and think we have demonstrated over the years that we have supported development when they come forward in the right location, however we have a situation where this whole process is dictated to us by the ECU.

The ECU was set up to deliver conventional power stations when you had one power station at one location, not a whole range of energy projects spread over the countryside.

“We have fought for years to protect our countryside from inappropriate development and now we are allowing things to go everywhere. There is something wrong in the system and the government needs to get a grip.”

He added: “It feels like East Lothian is playing a huge part in the generation of electricity for the National Grid, we are supplying more than many other communities across the whole of the UK so I think there needs to be a fair distribution of technologies in different counties.

“I believe that if you live within a reasonable mileage of a sizeable wind farm then you should be getting free electricity. That should just be given. If you have to suffer that wind farm near you then you should have your energy for free.”

Introducing the motion councillor McIntosh said there had been cross party agreement among councillors that changes were needed to address the concerns of local communities affected by the projects across the county.

She said: “For me, my main motivation is in looking at the development which is going on around the county and feeling in some places an unjust transition is already underway because we have all these energy developments, and while the energy transition to net zero is intended to benefit all of us and not just investors and landowner that is not happening in all the places and that is at the root of the unease all the communities are feeling.”

She called for community ownership to be considered rather than accepting promises from the companies involved of benefits for communities, saying it was more substantial than saying to local residents “here is a defibrillator and we’ll see you in 40 years or so”.

She said: “With this motion we are asking the UK and Scottish Government to devolve more power to us but we also want to be looking at how, once we have that, we can devolve it on to the local communities and let them be at the heart of decision making.”

SNP group leader Councillor Lynn Jardine, also supported the motion, saying: “Communities in East Lothian have carried a burden of substations pylons, cable corridors and prospective battery storage operations while too often the financial rewards flow to large companies and distant stakeholders. For a just transition to be meaningful that must change.”

Conservative group leader councillor George McGuire also supported colleagues comments and the motion while urging caution about considering the impact of delays in projects on those employed in the sector.

Councillors unanimously agreed to support the council leader writing to both governments calling for the reviews.