The 'Cut Don't Kill' lobby plans to march on Parliament to protest against cuts to the UK solar initiatives.
Environmental groups and other supporters plan to take part in the mass lobby of Parliament on Tuesday 22 November from 2.30pm.
The
Cut Don't Kill campaign is organising a day of action in Westminster, when the industry will lobby MPs and Ministers to protest against the planned cuts to the Feed-in Tariff (FiT).
The campaign is a coalition of British solar power companies and non-governmental organisations including Friends of the Earth, which itself launched the Final Demand campaign, saying clean energy is the only way to stabilise bills and is calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to 'take urgent action to stop killing off clean British energy providers and break the stranglehold of the big six energy companies'.
The Cut Don't Kill website
www.oursolarfuture.org.uk, sets out the group's cause and concerns about the development of solar power in the UK being under threat and has a link to the organisation's
petition.
The campaign's website says: 'The Government is intending to introduce crippling cuts to the Feed-in Tariff - a move that would kill the industry and destroy thousands of jobs. We need to make sure that the Government know about the success of the industry and the consequences of cuts this size, and we need you to help us tell them.
'There are 4,000 solar businesses across the UK employing 25,000 people. Solar costs a fraction of the amount currently being spent on other energy generation technologies. Feed-in tariffs add less than £1 per year to the average household bill at a time when the big six energy companies are imposing huge increases on their customers.'
The Cut Don't Kill lobby claims that FiTs have worked and the industry is thriving. 'As it grows and costs go down, we agree that there should be a gradual reduction in the tariffs,' says the campaign website, 'but the Government want to dramatically cut them - a decision that would have catastrophic consequences for the industry and our green future.
The campaign website has
online resources for all those affected by the FiT cuts to help with campaigning MPs, trade associations or environmental NGOs to highlight the impact that will be felt by businesses including possible job losses. Resources available include a draft letter for an MP, a press release for local media and even a briefing note on how to have a successful meeting with your MP.
