The Tory-led coalition Government are busy pushing the Energy Bill through Parliament. As currently drafted, it seeks to make a number of changes to reform the electricity market, opening up significant opportunities and challenges for Co-operative and Community energy – models that SERA has supported for a long time. Joe Fortune, SERA executive member and Political & Parliamentary Officer at the Co-operative Party explains the work that the Co-operative and Community Energy Coalition has been doing on this issue over the past few months.    Continue reading

Last week I went to my first meeting of the ‘Quality of Life and Sustainability Policy Commission’, as part of my new role as a Socialist Society rep on Labour’s National Policy Forum.  The focus of our work for this year is around transport – specifically, how we can give communities more of a say in our buses and railways. Continue reading

SERA's new Brighton and Hove branch met last week  for a discussion about the policies that will make Brighton better, not just greener.  Local member Tracey Hill tells us more... Just how green is Brighton and Hove? Amongst certain populations, there is a high degree of engagement with climate change issues. A multitude of community groups are not just talking about low-carbon lifestyles but acting too: community insulation initiatives, a renewable energy cooperative and food growing are great examples. But the carbon footprint of the city as a whole is relatively high, and our recycling rates are nothing to shout about. Continue reading

On Monday, London Mayor Boris Johnson claimed in his article in the Daily Telegraph that climate change wasn’t happening because he could see snow out of his window.   Continue reading

Tracey Hill outlines the Brighton & Hove SERA event later this week. Continue reading

Ahead of the 'Green Labour and Popular Environmentalism' event taking place later this week, Natan Doron of the Fabian Society writes on the place for green ideas in Labour's Policy Review.  Continue reading

David Schoibl of the Labour Movement for Europe reports on the joint LME-SERA event held in Parliament in November. Continue reading

Join us at our joint event with Labour Movement for Europe next week on the need for co-operation in Europe on environmental and energy issues. Continue reading

SERA, along with the Co-operative Party, the Local Government Information Unit and the Shadow DECC team, last week launched ‘The Power Book’, a new pamphet that looks at the potential of community and cooperatively owned energy. Continue reading

Deputy Mayor of Leicester Cllr Rory Palmer sets out how Leicester is on the road to becoming a Low Carbon City. Continue reading

Following our AGM at the beginning of the month, the new SERA Executive held a successful fringe on Community and Co-operative Energy at the Co-operative Party Annual Conference. As we head back to Manchester next week for Labour Party Conference, we want to let you know about our fringe events there, bringing environmental debate and discussion to the heart of the Labour Party. Continue reading

On 10 July SERA and the Co-operative Party held a joint event to explore co-operative and community energy. Here Ash McGregor of the Socialist Societies Executive reports on the meeting. Continue reading