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London boroughs call on government to provide £115m for ‘shovel-ready’ retrofit projects
Councils in London are urging the government to provide them with £115m to support a pipeline of “green recovery” projects, including a number of housing and public building retrofit schemes.
In its submission to the government’s upcoming Spending Review, London Councils, the umbrella group that represents local authorities in the capital, said its members have identified 375 “shovel-ready” projects, including the retrofitting of 18 large-scale public buildings, 29 schools and thousands of homes.
Boroughs are already funding over £950m of the costs, but need an additional £115m during this financial year to progress the full list of projects, the cross-party group said.
London Councils said urgent investment in green infrastructure and retrofitting will secure environmental and economic benefits, adding that an estimated 2,000 jobs would be created through the additional funding.
To support its argument, it pointed to the fact that buildings are among the biggest contributors to carbon emissions and said homes and workplaces account for an estimated 78% of CO2 emissions in the capital.
London Councils also criticised the Green Homes Grant scheme, which was announced by the government in July this year.
While several boroughs successfully applied for funding through the scheme, many were unable to include projects due to the tight timescale, which saw councils given one month to bid and roughly six months to complete work, London Councils said.
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In addition to £115m, London Councils is calling on the government to improve long-term support for the financing of retrofitting, for example by introducing a separate borrowing rate for green infrastructure projects at the Public Work Loans Board.
Philip Glanville, mayor of Hackney and chair of London Councils’ transport and environment committee, said: “Investment in a green recovery is essential for securing our environmental and economic future.
“We’ve identified shovel-ready projects and are eager to do our bit – but councils urgently need more support from the government.
“The investment case is a no-brainer. Funding retrofitting projects brings immediate benefits to Londoners, such as new jobs and lower fuel bills, while also addressing the climate emergency and helping us reduce carbon emissions.
“London boroughs are fully committed to the green recovery agenda and are putting significant resources into retrofitting. But in the face of both the economic and the climate crisis, ministers should seize the day and use the upcoming spending review to boost funding for this crucial work.”
Clyde Loakes, deputy leader and lead member for environment at Waltham Forest Council, which has spent more than £2.4m on energy efficiency over the past decade, said: “It is critical at this time that the government invest additional resources in local green infrastructure activity, enabling councils to make significant financial and energy savings by retrofitting their own buildings and housing stock, and providing support to residents that want to follow suit.
“Being able to invest in and deliver a range of energy efficiency projects improves the quality of buildings and street lighting, while simultaneously tackling the decarbonisation challenge and providing huge CO2 savings.
“Not only are local authorities faced with severe financial shortfalls in the face of COVID-19, but we’re still trying to tackle the climate emergency and become more sustainable.
“Providing long-term support to green infrastructure projects will go a long way to address this, from energy savings, cost efficiencies to more jobs in the economic recovery of the country.”
A Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy spokesperson said: “The government is already taking comprehensive action to drive down emissions from buildings, such as our Green Homes Grant scheme, through which we have allocated £500 million to local authorities to improve the energy efficiency of low income households.
“We are also pioneering innovative ways of driving down the cost of retrofitting homes through our Whole House Retrofit Challenge and have launched a £1 billion fund to help public sector bodies in England install energy efficiency measures.”
