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Lendology has released The Private Sector Housing Report, which calls on councils to make housing retrofit a priority and support homeowners.
Working with The Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE), Lendology surveyed UK local councils about their housing improvement plans and found that many local councils recognise the need for supporting the uptake of retrofit measures, such as insulation, solar panels, and heat pumps, across the private sector. However, some local councils reported that they had not as yet developed plans, or lacked resources to implement plans.
The research found that funding is the biggest barrier councils encounter in implementing retrofitting schemes, alongside complex application procedures, not meeting funding criteria, and competing council priorities.
In the report, Vickie Hacking, Principal Advisor at the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), said there is huge variation in approaches to private sector retrofitting among local councils:
Some are far ahead, others are waiting to see what works and how. They are also holding back due to budgeting pressures and the rising cost of building labour and materials. Plus government funding is based on bids, and councils may not have the expertise and resources to bid and execute schemes, or they may not have political support for it.
Emma Lower, CEO at Lendology, said:
A vast number of property owners don’t know how to improve the efficiency of their homes, nor how to fund it. Even the most environmentally aware find it hard to retrofit their properties because they can’t find the right resources. Local councils have a key role in educating homeowners about what to do, where to turn for impartial advice, how to fund it, and who to trust as a funding partner.
