Cheshire East Council has entered into a contractual partnership with an energy supplier to offer competitive energy in the Borough and, potentially, the wider North West region.
Cheshire East is the first local authority in the country to sign up with Ovo Energy, which aims to offer substantial savings against the national average tariff rates charged by the Big Six suppliers.
It means that Cheshire East will be the first council to sell energy in the UK since nationalisation in 1948.
Council Leader, Councillor Michael Jones, said "The alleviation of fuel poverty is a key priority for us. This is yet another innovation for Cheshire East Council which will have a direct financial benefit for residents.
"We have already frozen council tax for four consecutive years. Now we will ensure that low-income families who are worried about paying their bills can buy energy more cheaply and will not have to choose between heating and eating.
"I want the people of Cheshire East to live well and for longer and not to have to worry about meeting huge energy bills."
The new deal, branded as Fairerpower, will potentially benefit all of Cheshire East's 170,000 households and also those living in other parts of the North West region. Businesses could also take advantage.
An estimated 9.5% of domestic customers in the Borough are in fuel poverty, which is 0.9% below the national average.
Fairerpower will also be available to those using pre-paid meters, and even those who may have fuel debt may be able to switch on a case by case basis.
Stephen Fitzpatrick, Founder and CEO, Ovo: "We launched OVO Communities because we really believed the UK energy market was ripe for big changes. We want to provide a platform where people can come together, create their own systems, build their own innovations and create genuine partnerships.
"As our first local council partnership we are really excited to have the opportunity to literally put the power back into the hands of the people in the North West region."
Cheshire East Council is in negotiations to form a strategic partnership with the Borough's largest registered housing providers – Plus Dane Group, Peaks & Plains and Wulvern Housing to offer the deal to their tenants within their prescribed postcode areas, and would encourage any other social and public sector organisations, in and around the North West Region, interested in joining the partnership, to contact the Council.
Anyone who want to know more about Fairerpower can click here to register their interest, without obligation, by filling in a form here.
Comments
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However, this announcement is lacking essential detail -
1 are all CEC residents/CTax eligible?
2 what are the fairer power tariffs?
3 is there a limit to number of subscribers/will tariffs reduce with uptake?
4 will OVO/CEC provide details to rel. price comparison websites for qualifying subscribers?
CEC is now an energy supplier, subject to Regulator oversight/conditions.
Michael Jones promised that the fields on Adlington Road would not be built upon but, as I write, diggers are working on trenches in those fields to begin Jones' Homes development of over 200 houses.
Sadly lacking in information. Says offers savings against 'national average tariffs' whatever that means.