Gateshead Council recently secured a £1million income boost through agreeing a contract to provide demand side response services to the National Grid. The opportunity was identified as a result of a CAG strategic review of the councils work on energy that was undertaken as part of a wider strategic review involving nine north east local authorities.  The wider review covered a range of energy issues and identified a number of opportunities for future collaboration. The report this activity generated is not publicly available but it is hoped that it will help inform and catalyse activity that will generate other forms of benefit over the coming year.