Responding to a £562 million government funding boost to upgrade 50,000 households in social and local authority housing with green improvements, Cllr David Renard, Local Government Association housing spokesperson, said:
“It is good the Government is investing in boosting energy efficiency in social and council housing, which will save households money, combat fuel poverty and help reduce carbon emissions.
“Councils are leading the way tackling climate change and are committed to delivering green improvements, but have faced challenges with the competitive, short-term nature of grant funding, which requires councils to have sufficient staffing and capacity to apply.
“Providing long-term funding would better enable councils to help achieve our national net zero ambitions, supported by giving councils the flexibility to set energy efficiency standards above the current Building Regulation Standards.”