Local Authority engagement

We hosted regular engagement sessions with Local Authorities to support their pipeline of connections projects and discuss their long term plans.

Engagement with local stakeholders regarding the national Green Recovery Scheme that will see us unlock some £53m in accelerated network investment in the remainder of the RIIO-ED1 period revealed an opportunity for on-going engagement with Local Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs).

With Local Authorities in our region setting ambitious net zero targets, as early as 2030 in some cases, they are increasingly looking to us for advice and to support them in achieving their decarbonisation goals.

We issued a call for evidence for the Green Recovery Scheme. We offered short 20 minute surgery sessions and were inundated with responses from Local Authorities and LEPs who wanted to discuss both their immediate requirements and longer-term strategic plans with us. This information helped inform our thinking on where network capacity could be best utilised.

We recognised the benefit of continuing these discussions, both for us and our stakeholders. Having early visibility of their pipeline of connections projects means we can manage the application and delivery process more effectively. Our Local Authority and LEP stakeholders will also benefit from better information, closer relationships and upfront advice to identify the most viable connection options.

We ran regular engagement sessions and invited all Local Authorities and LEPs in our region to take part. Stakeholders were able to book a one-to-one appointment to discuss any upcoming connection projects or their longer-term plans and ensured we had the right team is in place to support those discussions.