A: Yes, Under the Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Act 2006 local councils have the power to...

(1) A parish council or community council may encourage or promote any of the following...

(a) microgeneration within their area;

(b) the use within their area of electricity generated, or heat produced, by microgeneration;

(c) efficiency in the use, by persons in their area, of electricity, heat, gas, fuel and other descriptions or sources of energy;

(d) reductions in the amounts of such energy, or sources of energy, used by persons in their area;

(e) production in their area of—

(i) biomass, or

(ii) any fuel derived from biomass;

(f) use in their area of, or of electricity generated, or heat produced, from biomass or any such fuel.

(2) The power conferred by subsection (1) includes, in particular, power—

(a) on application, to provide information about goods or services available within their area (whether offered or provided by public authorities or by any other persons), or

(b) to provide advice or assistance,

for the purpose of encouraging or facilitating any of the matters mentioned in that subsection.

(3) Assistance provided under subsection (1) may, if the council giving the assistance think appropriate—

(a) be made subject to conditions, or

(b) otherwise be provided on such terms as the council think appropriate.

(4) For the purposes of subsections (4) to (7B) of section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) (power of local authorities to incur expenditure for certain purposes not otherwise authorised)—

(a) any expenditure incurred by a parish council or community council under this section is to be treated as having been incurred under that section, and

(b) any purpose for which expenditure may be incurred under this section is to be treated as a purpose for which such a council are authorised by that section to incur expenditure.

(5) Subsection (4) applies to expenditure incurred by a parish council or community council under section 142 of the Local Government Act 1972 on information as to the services provided by them under this section, or otherwise relating to their functions under this section, as it applies to expenditure incurred under this section.

Source: HMSO