‘Millions wasted on Bristol Energy could have funded desperately needed services’

I was shocked to hear that losses announced by Bristol Energy now take its total losses up to £49m.

This is the equivalent of around 5,000 Bristol households not paying any council tax whatsoever, for the entire five-year period of Bristol Energy’s management by the mayor and Bristol City Council.

The mayor has been propping up the failing company for years now. He has signed off support packages worth over £49m – money that has disappeared for good at the time when we need it most.

Supporting our most vulnerable citizens and reducing our environmental impact will now be much harder as a result of this loss.

The stated aims of Bristol Energy – to give cheap, renewable energy to the citizens of Bristol – were good. Aims that I supported, but warning signs emerged some years ago that things weren’t going well.

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Read more: Bristol Energy: a timeline

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Over two years ago, I highlighted that the strategy was wrong from the start, but the mayor didn’t change direction, despite losses mounting each year.

What I proposed back then would have made a fundamental difference to Bristol Energy’s success, was to do more than simply resell the power generated by other companies.

The renewable energy market is thriving. It would have made the most sense to invest in building Bristol’s capacity to power itself, with new solar farms and wind turbines.

Solar panels on top of Bristol Energy’s headquarters on Temple Street – photo: Chris Bahn

By investing in local people with expertise, Bristol Energy would become an important employer, training young people in technical skills and making a substantial difference in the city’s efforts to reduce our impact on the climate.

But in the last two years it has been really hard to understand exactly what was going on behind the scenes, because the discussions about the company were shrouded in secrecy.

Important information was withheld – even from our elected councillors.

Had councillors been involved much earlier, better decisions could have been made. Instead, our mayor kept bailing out Bristol Energy, hoping things would turn around.

Whilst the energy company’s assets have been sold for a headline figure of £15m, we are still unsure of how much of that money the council will actually see.

What we do know is that total losses associated with Bristol Energy will be at least £35m. That loss, and all of the wasted time put in by council staff leaves Bristol City Council less able to meet the needs of the poorest and most disadvantaged, and less able to meet its environmental targets.

What a waste of so much money, that could be spent on services we desperately need right now. It didn’t have to be this way. If our mayor hadn’t been so secretive, the picture could be very different now.

I believe in leadership that is open and transparent, and in engaging cross-party views on the big issues.

This type of leadership will ensure that fiascos, such this one, are dealt with quickly and effectively – long before millions are wasted.

Sandy Hore-Ruthven is the Green Party’s Bristol mayoral candidate

Main photo: Martin Booth

Read more: Deputy mayor apologises for Bristol Energy saga