Government forms Green Economy Council

New council of business leaders to work with government on achieving green growth.

16 February 2011

A new council of business leaders from a cross-section of industries and sectors has been formed for the purpose of working with Government to advise on green policies and growth in areas such as infrastructure, innovation, investment and regulation. The council will work on a cross-departmental basis bringing together ministers from the department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), the department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and the department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The Rt. Hon Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, chaired the first meeting of the council. Speaking of its role in the transition to the low carbon economy he said, “I’m delighted that we have attracted top business leaders from key sectors to join us on the Green Economy Council and help us develop these policies”. On the agenda for the first meeting of the council held last week was the Green Economy Roadmap due to be published in spring, this will set out government strategy on climate change and the environment. The Rt. Hon Chris Huhne MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change stressed the importance of government working with business, saying that, “We want to work with Britain’s industry experts to make green jobs and investment come to the UK. We can be a world-leading low carbon economy, but we need to get ahead of the likes of China who are closing down on us fast”. The council is set to meet approximately three times a year, with the potential to set up working groups on specific issues.

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