North East Low Carbon Economic Area announcement is Government spin, say Lib Dems (Greg Stone)

North East Low Carbon Economic Area announcement is Government spin, say Lib Dems

July 20, 2009 10:20 AM

electric car Newcastle East Lib Dem Parliamentary Spokesman Greg Stone has criticised the Labour Government for spinning that the North East is to become the "UK's first Low Carbon Economic Area" ahead of an announcement expected today that Nissan will become a centre for manufacture of electric vehicles.

According to The Journal newspaper today, Government sources have stated that "Today we are announcing that the North East is to become the UK's first Low Carbon Economic Area specialising in ultra-low carbon vehicles, bringing together the different elements needed to drive transformation of the region's auto industry: support for innovation and demonstration, skills training and clustering of manufacturing."

Responding, Greg Stone said "I genuinely welcome investment in renewable energy and low-carbon vehicles, but I confess to being surprised about the announcement that the North East is to become the UK's first Low Carbon Economic Area. Only last week the Department for Energy and Climate Change released a major strategy called the Low Carbon Transition Plan, which makes no mention of this. Instead, this document states that the South West will become the UK's first Low Carbon Economic Area, focusing on marine energy demonstration, service, and manufacture".

"Either Government policy on the low carbon economy is in disarray in a matter of days, or the Government is spinning the same line in more than one region. There is also a serious point in that the North East has some of England's foremost resources for renewable energy research at NaReC at Blyth and with the development of the Walker Offshore Park for renewables manufacturing. It is regrettable if the Government is in fact intending to support the development of a rival cluster in the South West instead. I hope the Downing Street sources mentioned in the Journal's piece are not trying to mislead the North East for reasons of local political expediency."

The Low Carbon Transition Plan identifies the South West as the first Low Carbon Economic Area in the UK on pages 13, 113, 125, and 129, and does not refer to the North East at all in this regard.