PRESSURE is mounting on Ruth Kelly to back a Bill which would allow councils to set stringent targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions when new homes are built.

The Bolton West MP and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has come under fire amid claims she is trying to block the Local Planning Authorities Energy and Energy Efficiency Bill.

The Bill, introduced to Parliament by Labour's Martin Caton, demands high energy-efficiency standards in new developments to help cut C02 emissions and fight climate change.

The Association for the Conservation of Energy has written to Bolton councillors urging them to help persuade Ms Kelly to support the Bill.

One councillor has already written to Ms Kelly about his concern over claims by ACE that she told her deputy, Phil Woolas, to "talk out" the Bill in Parliament on January 19.

Liberal Democrat Richard Silvester, a member of Bolton's environment scrutiny committee, said he could not understand the reasoning behind a draft planning policy statement issued by Ms Kelly.

ACE claims it would place restrictions on the powers of councils wishing to set high environmental standards and could threaten the building of low-carbon housing.

Cllr Silvester said: "Ruth Kelly's policy statement and stance on this excellent Bill is barmy and flies in the face of energy efficiency.

"If councils can help the environment through this Bill, then it is crazy for Ms Kelly to try to block it. The Government has said that by 2016 it has an objective of achieving zero carbon homes. Therefore, Ms Kelly's actions clearly do not make sense."

ACE director Andrew Warren said: "This exercise seems oblivious to government policy and unconcerned about climate change.

"It is particularly disturbing as Ms Kelly's department published a report a week ago revealing that between 2004 and 2006 household energy use and carbon emissions rose by 2.38 per cent and 2.69 per cent, respectively."

A spokesman for Ms Kelly and her department, said: "The Government is consulting on the draft Planning Policy Statement - Planning and Climate Change, and it is only right that all stakeholders who want to respond to the consultation are able to do so.

"The Government's intention is to legislate to set out clearly the role of local planning authorities in tackling energy efficiency and climate change."

Bolton Council's environment strategy, which runs until 2011, aims to reduce carbon emissions by at least 20 per cent and will ask developers to use sources of renewable energy if they build three or more new homes or non-residential buildings with a floor space of 500 square metres or more.