Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas joined Friends of the Earth's green strong man ‘Energy Bill' outside Parliament yesterday to show her support for a tough new law to save energy and tackle climate change in homes and communities around the country.

Caroline is backing Friends of the Earth's call for key changes to the Energy Bill currently being debated in Parliament.

The environmental campaigning charity wants the Government to lead a nationwide refurb to make sure no one lives in a cold home - and to beef up support to help councils tackle climate change in their areas.

Caroline Lucas MP said:

"The Government's Energy Bill needs to be overhauled to make sure our homes and communities get the green refurb needed to help fight climate change.

"I'm backing Friends of the Earth's call for the new law to be stronger, so councils get independent advice to help communities go green, tenants are protected from heat-leaking homes by 2016 and the Government has a plan to insulate every home."

Friends of the Earth campaigner Liz Hutchins said:

"It's great that Caroline Lucas MP has committed to backing amendments for a stronger Energy Bill.

"We need MPs like Caroline to stand up and be counted to help fight dangerous climate change and create clean, green communities we can be proud to live in."

ENDS

Notes to editors

The Government's Energy Bill is being debated in Parliament and will become law this July. Friends of the Earth is calling for the Bill to be strengthened in three ways:

Councils and community action on climate change
The Government says councils are ‘pivotal' to helping meet UK Climate Change Act targets to cut carbon emissions.

But a nationwide step-change in the scale and pace of this local action is needed. 40 councils from all political parties, businesses including the Federation of Small Businesses and B&Q, and green groups are asking for the Energy Bill to be strengthened to:

Create clarity: Ministers should ask the independent Committee on Climate Change to advise on what councils need to do in their patch to help meet UK Climate Change Act targets

Ensure local climate action is a priority: councils should have a duty to draw up local climate change plans - showing how they will roll out green policies in line with the expert advice.

This would mean decisions about the low carbon future of our communities are made locally. It would increase transparency and accountability about councils' actions. See more at: www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/energy_bill_council_action.pdf 

Warmer homes for all
There are 4.5 million households living in fuel poverty, meaning they can't afford to properly heat their homes. The Warm Homes Amendment would ensure that Government produces a plan to insulate enough homes to end fuel poverty and meet carbon targets.

Last Tuesday [10 May] Climate Change Minister Greg Barker accepted that more needs to be done, announcing plans to take "reasonable steps" to improve the energy efficiency of homes in line with the carbon budgets, and to report annually on progress on the Green Deal.

This is recognition that the Government's initial proposals lacked ambition, but is still a long way short of the action that needed.