NHF: Pre-Budget Report is missed opportunity to 'green' existing homes

The National Housing Federation said today that the Chancellor had missed a key opportunity to slash the UK’s carbon emissions and reduce energy bills by failing to back a major programme of ‘greening’ more than 250,000 social homes in the Pre-Budget Report (PBR).

Meanwhile, the Federation said that it cautiously welcomed the Chancellor’s promise of limited new funding for low carbon projects and renewable energy – but will look for reassurance that lower income households will benefit from the schemes announced today as well as those from more affluent backgrounds.

The Federation, which represents 1,200 housing associations, had called on the Government, in the run up to the PBR, to prove its green credentials by investing £3bn to improve the energy efficiency of thousands of social homes.

However, despite awareness of climate change being at a record high due to the Copenhagen Summit, the Government has failed to take the opportunity to decisively tackle the substantial level of greenhouse gases emitted from the nation’s housing stock – which accounts for 27% of all the nation’s carbon emissions.

Even so, the Federation welcomed the Chancellor’s pledge to get more young unemployed people back to work – and said the nation’s housing associations were ready to meet the challenge of providing many of the proposed training schemes.

Greening existing homes

Responding to the Chancellor's promise of limited new funding for a range of low carbon projects and renewable energy, the Federation’s chief executive David Orr said:

“We cautiously welcome the boost announced today for some low carbon projects and renewable energy – but we will need reassurance that lower income households will benefit from the schemes announced today as well as those from more affluent backgrounds who can afford to pay for domestic green technologies upfront.”

Meanwhile, commenting on the failure of the PBR to pay for a major programme of retrofitting social homes, Mr Orr said: “We're very disappointed that the Chancellor failed to adopt our proposed programme of greening thousands of the nation’s social homes, which would have slashed carbon emissions, reduced energy bills for the less well-off, created nearly 100,000 jobs and supported the economic recovery.

“With the world’s attention focussed on the Copenhagen Summit, this was a real chance for the Government to prove its green credentials and help hard up families cut their energy bills – but sadly it has passed up this golden opportunity to tackle these huge problems.

“Housing associations are already doing their bit by being the only major part of the construction sector building low carbon homes – now the Government needs to play its part.”

Youth training

Commenting on the Chancellor’s pledge to guarantee training or work for anyone aged between under 24, who has been out of work for at least six months, Mr Orr said:

“With the recession being the worst on record, thousands of our young people have now been out of work for a very long time and currently have little hope for the future.

“Therefore any major drive to create workplace opportunities for young adults will be of vital importance – and will be welcomed by the nation’s housing associations, many of whom house thousands of people in unemployment hot spots up and down the country.”

He added: “Housing associations are at the forefront of providing work placements, training and apprenticeships for young unemployed people – and are already using money recently made available by the Government to provide 6,300 jobs in numerous areas hit by high rates of unemployment.

“This initiative could also help the environment if the training opportunities and apprenticeships provided are used to help green our homes.”