BOROUGH Council leaders at Warrington are studying proposals to join forces with neighbouring authorities in Cheshire to provide cut price gas and electricity for residents.
It is believed annual savings of £150 to £200 could be achieved for individual householders – and that the council could generate additional income for itself to reinvest in other energy projects.
Members of the council’s executive board are being asked to approve talks with neighbouring authorities with a view to introducing a collaborative collective switching scheme.
Local social housing providers would also be invited to join in the scheme.
“Collective switching” involves a group of consumers banding together to negotiate a better deal with electricity and 
gas suppliers through economies of scale.
The Government is encouraging councils to introduce such schemes.
To introduce a collective switching scheme, the council would have to engage a switching partner who would co-ordinate the collecting and processing of household energy data to enable energy suppliers to submit prices for “blocks” of energy via an electronic auction.
Households would have to register and enter their energy usage data into a system provided by the switching partner. This would not have to be done online, as many households may not have access to the internet.
After the electronic auction, the council would contact each household either confirming they were already getting the best deal possible or offering them a suitable alternative.
Households do not have to accept the offer of an alternative.
The council does not pay the switching partner and, in fact, is paid a “finders fee”.
A report to be presented to the executive board by Cllr Russ Bowden (pictured), lead member for corporate resources, says the main purpose of the collective switching scheme is to reduce energy bills for all Warrington households through economies of scale.
It will help off-set energy costs at a time of rising prices, help households suffering fuel poverty and will be available to vulnerable people such as the elderly, families on low incomes.
But the opportunity to switch energy supplier will be available to all Warrington residents.
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3 Comments
Perhaps they could speak to South Lakeland District Council where the Liberal Democrat administration has run a similar scheme. They may be able to offer some insights, regardless of party politics.
Or, the council could sell the power generated by all the solar panels we’ve paid to put onto hundreds of council houses to consumers across the borough – rather than just giving council tenants on already subsidised rents completely free electricity.
Perhaps the generated savings belongs to the Golden Gates Housing Trust ??But it would be a great idea if it was deducted from everybodies rates burden.