Julian elected as a member of the Energy and Climate Change Committee
July 24, 2015
Julian has joined the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee in Parliament, after being elected to the position by other Conservative MPs. The influential cross-party committee is appointed by the House of Commons and meets regularly to examine the policies and question the inner workings of the Department of Energy and Climate Change.
One of Julian’s six key priorities over the General Election was to end the wind farm folly, with the former Labour-run Council proposing to build up to forty wind turbines that would have encircled the city of York. The plans were scrapped after the local elections resulted in a new Conservative led-administration. Furthermore, the Government has also implemented its manifesto commitment to ending taxpayer funded subsidies for new onshore wind farms.
Speaking about his committee membership, Julian said:
“I am delighted to have been elected and I am looking forward to addressing some of the serious challenges we face over the next five years. We have to make sure that the Government’s number one priority remains enabling families and businesses to have reliable and affordable energy supplies.
“I will also be working hard to ensure the Department takes the right steps to future proof our energy mix, and achieve the energy security we need to meet our long-term requirements. All the while we have to be mindful of the effects of climate change, and we must make the necessary changes to tackle its effects whilst we still can. I am looking forward to holding the Secretary of State, Energy Ministers and senior civil servants to account on these vitally important issues, which affect York and the rest of the country as well.”
At this week’s meeting, Julian highlighted his concerns about the potentially “uncharted territory” of the country’s energy security, as well as emphasising that the Government must “bridge the gap” to address local communities’ concerns about shale gas extraction. The Energy Secretary, Amber Rudd, assured the Committee that long-term energy security remains a key priority for the Department, and accepted that the Government needs to continue to demonstrate that shale gas is a safe and sustainable part of as part of Britain’s energy mix.
