Responding to the Autumn Statement, Polly Billington, Chief Executive of UK100, a network of local authorities committed to Net Zero and Clean Air, says:
Confirmation today that Britain is returning to austerity will alarm local leaders up and down the country. Local authorities are still grappling with the effects of the first round of spending cuts almost a decade ago. Our members have told us they will be forced to strip back services to the barest essentials, threatening climate action and disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable.
The Chancellor’s recognition of the importance of energy efficiency is welcome, however it would be better if he were to listen to the experts in local government about how to spend money more wisely, especially since it appears his announcement of £6bn investment in energy efficiency is not new money.
We would urge the Chancellor to look at our new #EndTheWaitInsulate report. It sets out an oven-ready, cost-neutral plan to urgently upgrade the energy efficiency of social housing across the country to protect some of the most vulnerable households from soaring energy bills. It’s a move Brits would support, according to the latest polling from YouGov.
For too long the energy efficiency can has been kicked down the road by successive governments. Before today, most Brits didn’t have a clue what the Government’s plan for energy efficiency was. Jeremy Hunt is taking a small step in the right direction — but he needs to run, not walk. We can’t wait until 2025.
Ultimately, we’re glad to see the message is slowly getting through on energy efficiency. But we need more urgency and detail. We also want reassurance that local leaders are a part of the plan. Any focus on energy efficiency amidst the energy crisis is welcome, but we need to move quickly to end the wait and insulate.
UK100 released a new report outlining a plan to roll out an urgent social housing energy- efficiency programme to reduce energy bills by up to £1,500 a year for tenants and kick-start a nationwide domestic energy efficiency drive. The mid-term plan (2022 to 2028) laid out in the report doesn’t cost a penny more than has already been pledged to social housing energy efficiency spending. And an energy efficiency plan focused on social housing is something Brits would support by a ratio of more than 5:1 (69% support, 13% oppose), according to a YouGov poll released today.
UK100’s report recommends that the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund is revamped, arguing that the scheme would be far more effective if BEIS ended the competitive nature of the funding and distributed it by need. The report also recommends that a redesigned scheme is run alongside the new UK Infrastructure Bank to maximise private investment and innovative green finance opportunities. The scheme could upgrade over 550,000 social housing properties by 2028, supporting 40,000 jobs and saving residents up to £1,500 on their bills in the first year alone.
The report argues that beyond 2028, a new £16 billion long-term investment to 2050 would ensure every single social housing property in the UK is upgraded to Net Zero standard, permanently reducing bills and supporting over 80,000 jobs.
Commenting on the report, Lucie Middlemiss, fuel poverty expert and Professor of Environment and Society at the University of Leeds, said:
This winter is proving hugely challenging for households facing high energy bills in poorly insulated homes. The consequences of under-heating for health and well-being are well-evidenced and highly detrimental.
Increasing insulation for poorer households can have life-changing consequences: making people healthier, happier and less likely to take time off work. UK100’s proposal to increase the pace of retrofit for social housing is a timely and important one. It makes sense because social housing organisations and local authorities already have a track record of delivery on retrofit, as well as providing homes for some of the most vulnerable people. Speeding up this programme will result in big quality of life improvements.
