Cllr Brian Silvester (@CllrBSilvester)

An Investigation by #CreweFirst. When will the Councils in Cheshire EVER learn ??? On THREE separate occasions, in the last eleven years, Cheshire Councils have set up energy/electricity/gas companies. NONE of them are still operating, all ended up costing the Council taxpayers and one cost Council taxpayers £18+ MILLION. So why on earth are Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Warrington now setting up a Solar Panel Company ??? Councils should stick to their day job. Almost every time Councils try to be entrepreneurs, it proves to be a costly failure and costs the poor Council taxpayers dear. FairerPower was set up as a joint venture between Cheshire East and OVO Energy in 2015 to be the first Council to supply electricity and gas to domestic consumers. By 2019 it had been wound up. Cheshire Energy Networks Ltd was a joint venture between Cheshire East Council and Equans Services Limited, set up in 2016, to pursue low energy initiatives. It was dormant since its incorporation and was liquidated in 2025. In 2019 Warrington Council invested in Together Energy, a company set up to supply electricity and gas. It was wound up in 2022 and Warrington Council taxpayers had to pick up a bill of £18+ MILLION. A record of disaster. Do our local Councils have memory loss? https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/environment/carbon-neutral-council/switch-together.aspx https://moderngov.cheshireeast.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?AIId=78572 https://moderngov.cheshireeast.gov.uk/ecminutes/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?AIId=33599 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60038685