The West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, led by Mayor Dan Norris, has secured almost £67 million from the Government to help thousands of families to cut bills and reduce carbon emissions. This latest new funding for the region will be match funded by local authorities and social landlords, bringing the total investment in making social housing more energy efficient to more than £130 million.
Through its South West Net Zero Hub, the Mayoral Combined Authority (MCA) led the bid for a consortium covering the whole of the South West, securing the new cash from the Government’s Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund. The West of England area is set to receive around £20 million, which will be match funded locally up to a total of around £40 million, likely benefitting around 2,000 households over the next three years.
Dan Norris, the Mayor of the West of England, said:
“I’m proud that my Mayoral Combined Authority has secured one of the largest per-person settlements from the Warm Homes programme, which will cut bills. People and planet will be better off thanks to millions of pounds of money being invested in the West, and this is just the latest funding secured for our region.
“Only yesterday, our Green Growth West impact fund took a huge step forward as we work to secure even more investment in retrofitting and green technology to cut bills and make more energy here at home, rather than relying on global fossil fuel imports. That’s the way that we’ll create more jobs, growing our economy and shrinking energy bills to help keep more money in people’s pockets.”
Up to 170,000 homes in England will benefit from these energy efficiency upgrades. Low-income households and tenants in social housing will benefit from measures such as insulation, double glazing, solar panels, and heat pumps.
Miatta Fahnbulleh, Minister for Energy Consumers, said today:
“Living in a warm, comfortable home should not be a luxury. It is a right that has been out of reach for too many people for too long.
“By giving this funding to local authorities and social housing providers we are delivering on our promise to improve the homes of thousands of people across England.
“As part of our Plan for Change, we are powering on with our Warm Homes Plan, upgrading cold and draughty homes so they are warmer, cleaner, and cheaper to live in.”
