Lib Dems slam government advice line

The Liberal Democrats have labelled a new government scheme encouraging households to reduce their carbon emissions ‘woeful’.

Commenting on a free advice line set up by the government to offer households help in reducing emissions and landfill waste, shadow environmental secretary Steve Webb said that ‘the size of the government solution is dwarfed by the scale of the problem.’

The Act on CO2 Advice Line is part of a £100 million package of measures designed to help households reduce their CO2 footprint.

The money will also be used to set up a nationwide network of advice centres, environmental makeovers for over 100 neighbourhoods, and the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT) scheme encouraging energy companies to help their customers go low-carbon.

The Energy Saving Trust is to be responsible for implementing these initiatives on behalf of the government.

However, environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth have said that the new measures don’t go far enough and gloss over the government’s failure to help homes and businesses go green.

Meanwhile, Steve Webb, the Liberal Democrat’s environment secretary, called the measures ‘woefully inadequate’, because they offer advice, but no financial backing or incentive to help households implement that advice.

The Act on CO2 Advice Line can be called on 0800 512 012.