Neston Community Energy held its AGM recently, bringing together members and supporters to hear about our progress over the past year and look ahead to the opportunities for community energy in Neston.
As a Community Benefit Society (CBS), our AGM is an important part of how Neston Community Energy is governed. Our members approved the accounts and unanimously reappointed all of our existing directors, giving the Board a clear mandate to continue developing our work.
But being a CBS is about more than how we run our AGM. It also shapes the decisions we make about the projects we want to develop.
A conventional for-profit company will normally look for projects that provide an attractive financial return on investment. As a community benefit organisation, we can take a wider view of what constitutes a worthwhile investment for Neston.
For example, imagine a community building with a large roof that currently relies heavily on electricity generated from fossil fuels. Installing solar panels might not provide the quickest financial return. But it could:
- reduce the building’s reliance on fossil fuels;
- reduce its energy costs over the longer term;
- improve the sustainability of an important local community asset; and
- keep the benefits of renewable energy within Neston.
Those wider benefits matter to us.
This is already reflected in our work with Neston Civic Hall and NCYC, where we are exploring the potential for solar installations on their buildings. We are also beginning conversations with other organisations responsible for public and community facilities about what might be possible.
Our AGM also provided an opportunity to reflect on our wider plans, including the continuing development of the Leahurst solar and wind project and the Neston Energy Club. Our ambition is increasingly about creating a local energy ecosystem in which organisations, residents and community groups can work together to generate clean energy, reduce costs and retain more of the benefits locally.
We are still a relatively young organisation, but the AGM demonstrated the importance of having a growing membership involved in shaping what we do.
That’s the difference community ownership can make: our decisions are not simply about maximising financial return – they’re about asking what can deliver lasting benefits for Neston.
If you’d like to find out more about Neston Community Energy, become a member or get involved in our work, we’d love to hear from you.
Click here if you’d like to receive our emails, or to get further involved or use the contact link.
Andy Mills
Chair, Neston Community Energy
