Labour says creating thousands of jobs in the clean energy industry could restore 'pride' to areas like Mansfield if the party is elected into Government. Ed Miliband, the shadow climate change and net zero secretary, visited Mansfield on Thursday (March 2) to discuss Labour's policies on the future of the UK's energy industry.
Alongside Andy Abrahams, Labour's Mayor for Mansfield, Mr Miliband visited the Power Saving Solutions company. The business manufactures hybrid generators for commercial use which cut both carbon emissions and fuel costs.
Andy Abrahams highlighted the fact that the company had created scores of local jobs and apprenticeships, which he says could go some way to restoring the sense of "hope" that some say was lost with the closure of pits. Speaking about the Power Saving Solutions staff, Mr Abrahams said: "You can see there's a buzz about what they were doing, they're at the start of a new project here which is going to grow.
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"They have got a sense of pride and that's the biggest obstacle that we've got to overcome. If you've had decades of just getting by, it's hope for something to change.
"If there's not been generationally any hope or indication, why would you believe anything that anybody coming along says. That's what we've got to overcome in places like Mansfield."
One of Labour's key pledges if it was elected at the next general election, expected in 2024, is to create a new GB Energy company. The party claims the new company would save £93 billion in total for UK households whilst creating thousands of local jobs.
Ed Miliband said: "There are so many areas of the economy which you don't necessarily think about where there are going to have to be some changes. It turns out there are solutions which are good for the environment and which crucially cut costs.
"Green is the cheaper choice, sometimes I say it's cheaper to save the planet than to destroy it, and this company proves it. It's also where the jobs of the future are going to come from."
Mr Miliband acknowledged that the current Conservative Government was already working on several large-scale energy projects, with the STEP Fusion plant in Nottinghamshire expected to generate 10,000 local jobs. But Mr Miliband said the UK could be "doing so much more."
Speaking about the relevance of green policies to people living in areas such as Mansfield, Andy Abrahams added: "We've been talking about the green agenda but to the average person, it sounds like some convoluted idea and they can't see how it affects their everyday lives. But with what's been happening with energy prices and the way it's been hitting people in the pocket, people are suddenly saying they get it."
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