‘A bright step forward’: local MP hails solar rollout at three Bedworth schools

St Michaels CofE Academy, All Saints Bedworth CofE Academy, and Ash Green School will all receive panels under the programme. Kingsbury School in North Warwickshire will also benefit. They are among 250 schools across the country chosen for the latest rollout of the scheme.

The initiative is designed to help schools reduce long-term energy costs, with estimates suggesting they could save thousands of pounds over the lifetime of the panels. Supporters say the move highlights how clean energy investment can benefit both local communities and the public sector.

Rachel Taylor, Labour MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, welcomed the announcement, calling it “a real game changer.”

“Less money spent on energy bills means more money directed into the thing that really matters – giving all our children the best quality education,” she said.

Taylor emphasised that the investment reflects the government’s wider aims of boosting energy security and lowering household and public-service bills. She also noted that it adds to a series of recent improvements for local schools.

“Since I was elected last year, I’m so pleased to see money flowing to local schools again after years of cuts,” she said. “Since last July, schools in Bedworth have had funding announced to replace their windows, create a new school-based nursery, and launch a free primary school breakfast club. This latest announcement is another demonstration that this government is determined to give every child in Bedworth the best start in life.”

The solar panel rollout forms part of Great British Energy’s broader mission to expand clean energy infrastructure nationwide, with schools expected to be among the major beneficiaries of the latest phase.