Cotswold MP criticises council plan to lease £76.5m for solar farms

Cotswold District Council said its plans to borrow to invest in green energy are "within government rules"

An MP has raised concerns over debt after his local council said it plans to borrow millions for green energy.

Lib Dem-run Cotswold District Council is looking to borrow £76.5m to invest in solar farm projects.

But Conservative Cotswolds MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said it was an unsustainably large amount.

Deputy council leader Mike Evemy said Sir Geoffrey should focus on fixing the government's "economic mess" instead of "attacking" the council.

According to The Local Democracy Reporting Service, Sir Geoffrey has since written to Cotswold District Council chief executive Rob Weaver to highlight his concerns.

In the letter he cited the example of Thurrock Council, which is reported to be over £1bn in debt after borrowing money to invest in renewable energy, specifically, solar farms.

He said the district council was in a worryingly similar situation.

'Within government rules'

"There is plenty of private investment available for such projects and I believe it is completely wrong to mortgage the council taxpayers of the Cotswolds," Sir Geoffrey said.

But Mr Evemy, who is also finance cabinet member, said the council's borrowing plans would happen within government rules and would need to deliver a positive return for council taxpayers.

"Contrast this with the Conservative Government's tax plans, which have led to a run on the pound and will see mortgage payments increase massively in the next few months as interest rates rise to deal with inflation," he said.

"Sir Geoffrey should be focussing his energies on getting his colleagues to sort out the mess they're making of our economy rather than criticising the Lib Dem-run district council for looking for ways to tackle climate change and compensate for the reductions in funding from his government."