Working-class communities must be at the heart of the green energy transition, climate action organisation Threads in the Ground has warned.
The North East is rapidly emerging as the UK’s renewable energy powerhouse. The region has strong foundations to lead the renewable energy transition, including world-class universities, a growing clean-tech sector, highly skilled workforce, and access to some of Europe’s most significant offshore wind resources.
This ambition is supported by the North East Combined Authority, Mayor Kim McGuinness, Industry Minister Chris McDonald MP, and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband MP, with the UK’s renewable sector expected to support up to one million jobs nationwide.
Threads in the Ground is working with the Durham Energy Council, a volunteer group from former mining communities, to inform a new energy manifesto.
The latest consultation with the Durham Energy Council took place on 12 May at Blackhall Community Centre in County Durham.
Alison Paterson, a miner’s daughter and manager of the Blackhall Community Centre, said: “Forty years after the collapse of Britain’s coal industry devastated our communities, the green energy revolution must not repeat the mistakes of the past. Former miners, workers, and the local community must be consulted so they are not left behind. This new industry is a unique chance to rebuild social connection and community.”
The organisation warns that economic transformation without community participation risks repeating the failures of the coal industry’s decline.
Adam Cooper, Director of Threads in the Ground, said: “It’s vital that the renewable transition delivers real, lasting social gains. Coalfield communities didn’t just power industry, they built strong social infrastructure, from welfare halls and brass bands to workers’ rights and educational initiatives. The Durham Miners’ Association laid the groundwork for institutions as transformative as the NHS. With the right foundations, extraordinary achievements are possible.”
The North East is home to some of the largest offshore wind developments in the world and is attracting significant international investment.
Adam said: “The North East has all the ingredients to become a European leader in renewable energy. But communities must be front and centre in decision-making. A just transition means ensuring working-class voices help shape what comes next.”
Threads in the Ground argues that the shift to green energy must build lasting social capital.
“Working-class communities powered previous energy revolutions,” Cooper added. “Community ownership models, local investment, and meaningful consultation will be essential to securing public support in this historic industrial region.”
Threads in the Ground will launch a Community Manifesto at Redhills in Durham, the historic ‘Pitman’s Parliament, on 11 June.
The manifesto will be sent to industry leaders, policymakers and renewable energy stakeholders to help ensure community voices shape regional strategy. One hundred copies of the manifesto will be distributed to decision-makers.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” Cooper said. “As the transition accelerates, leaders must listen. The people of the North East should not simply experience change, they should help inform it.”
Members of the Durham Energy Council