I WAS lucky enough to have been selected for the Bill Committee that established Great British Energy last year. This public company was set up to invest in the green energy transition projects and businesses that are hastening our energy independence.

And last week Great British Energy announced the roll-out of the biggest community energy investment in UK history, backing local communities to cut bills and take climate action. Local people, organisations, and local authorities can now apply for funding for local clean power projects.

Communities will be offered an ownership stake in large renewable energy projects in each area. At the moment, many of these projects are limited to areas that are part of a mayoral combined authority (MCA). As Cornwall will never be part of an MCA this would, in theory rule us out of accessing such funding.

However, the Prime Minister Andy Burnham has made it very clear that Cornwall should not lose out on powers devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities and so we need to ensure that as part of our devolution deal, we can access community energy project funding such as this. Great British Energy has already switched on over 150 renewable projects for public buildings across MCAs, with more to follow, which together could see up to £50-million in total energy bill savings reinvested in local services.

Cornwall cannot and must not lose out. Great British Energy is also launching almost £30-million of support for community energy projects, the first step in up to £1-billion of investment to back more than 1,000 local clean energy schemes across the UK.

Community groups, local authorities, and organisations can now apply for funding for projects ranging from rooftop solar and hydro schemes to community-owned wind farms, ensuring the benefits of clean energy stay in communities rather than flowing to foreign investors.

Alongside this investment, the Labour government will set out plans later this Autumn to give all communities an ownership stake in larger renewable energy projects. The move will ensure local people share directly in the rewards of clean power, bringing Britain closer to successful models already used across countries such as Germany and Denmark.

The six Cornish MPs working in tandem with the Council are in the process of negotiating what that devolution deal for Cornwall will finally look like and Andy Burnham has made another really positive intervention in a press interview with the BBC last week. He said: "I want to go with what people want in Cornwall. Cornwall could be so much more if it could do more for itself and that's where I want Cornwall to be going forward.

What I do want is to set it (Cornwall) up for the next period, the next decade, to make growth in every postcode of Cornwall a reality, that's what I want to see and I see no reason why it can't happen given the untapped potential across the whole area." Absolutely, Andy, couldn’t agree more!