Tag Archives: Local Authorities

Local authority action for energy efficiency in housing stock

25 January 2012: This paper presents the findings of analysis of energy efficiency data supplied by landlords with bids for funding from the Decent Homes Standard Backlog programme administered by the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA).

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Camden Council to cancel 1,000 solar panels

January 2012: “Cllr Sean Birch said: “We had signed a contract to install solar panels in 1,000 street properties, and the fact that the government has changed the goal posts means this is not going to happen now. The council is going to be worse off because we were going to be generating revenues from the electricity at a time when money is scarce.” Read full Ham & High article here.

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‘London faces £500 million shortfall in share of fuel poverty and climate change funds’

20 January 2012: London Councils have responded to the Government’s Green Deal consultation stating that “London needs a fair share of government Green Deal cash to help people afford home improvements such as solid wall insulation. To date less than five per cent of the national pot to help support ‘retro-fitting’ (upgrading the energy-efficiency of existing homes) has been spent in London, despite the capital housing 13 per cent of the population. Funds for carbon saving and affordable warmth schemes available under the government’s new Green Deal should be allocated on a regional basis, says London Councils.”

Councillor Catherine West, chair of London Councils Transport and Environment Committee, said:
“The Green Deal is vital to London, good for the environment and good for people’s pockets. It can help us to tackle the growing problem of fuel poverty in London, but the government’s proposals exclude many of the people that need help most.

“London has a very high proportion of homes that are hard to treat and families living in fuel poverty. To make the Green Deal a success nationally we have to make it work in London, but we can only do that with our fair share of the available money.”

Read the full release here along with London Councils submission to the Green Deal consultation.

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Government’s ‘Green Deal’ needs to help the poorest

20 January 2012: The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents more than 350 councils in England and Wales, today warned that the Government’s forthcoming Green Deal would leave some of the country’s most vulnerable families out in the cold and could increase fuel poverty. Read the full news release here.

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Revised Energy Guidance to Local Authorities

January 2012: Parliamentary Question from Labour’s Shadow Energy Minister asking Government on when the revised guidance to local authorities on energy efficiency is to be published. See this earlier post for additional details.

17 Jan 2012 : Column 677W
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects updated Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 guidance to be published. [90449]
Gregory Barker: The Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 (HECA) requires local authorities (LAs) with housing responsibilities to report on action to improve the energy efficiency in their residential accommodation. The Green Deal will fundamentally alter the landscape against which LAs will fulfil this requirement.
LAs are currently considering the Green Deal proposals, which were published for consultation on 23 November, and what this means for their plans for energy efficiency locally. With this in mind we therefore propose to issue new HECA guidance in spring 2012.

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State of the Environment – London fact sheets

December 2011: Environment Agency updated fact sheets “designed to provide local information on the state of the environment in each of the Capital’s boroughs.” Factsheets for each borough can be downloaded here.

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Local Carbon Frameworks Evaluation Published

December 2011: An EST led pilot programme for DECC “…the Local Carbon Framework (LCF) pilots programme has sought to develop demonstrable lessons about how councils can integrate measures to combat climate change into their core business. These lessons also provide a practical basis for the development of a new Council Framework for Climate Change. This Framework will seek to act as a local action plan on delivering carbon emissions, encapsulating the varying portfolios of carbon reduction measures relevant to individual or grouped councils.”

Download an Evaluation of the Local Carbon Framework Pilots here
and the Local Carbon Framework pilot: Baseline data and methodology review here.

More on the LCF can be found on DECC’s website here and the Local Government Association website here. The London Borough of Haringey was one of the 9 pilot areas, more of which can be found on the haringey2040.org.uk website.

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Local authority large scale retrofit: A review of finance models

December 2011: EST guide reviewing the characteristics of the various approaches to large scale retrofit finance that are currently being developed and deployed, and to draw up a features and benefits matrix, such that any local authority can understand which model may be most appropriate for their own circumstances.

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EST Local authority funding guide

December 2011: Energy Saving Trust funding guide aimed at local authority officers who are considering developing and delivering low carbon schemes and are assessing their options for financing these projects. This guide covers a range of options and aims to highlight theopportunities available. This guide is not an exhaustive list and other options may be available.

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Local Councils and the Green Deal

December 2011: An interim report investigating whether Local Councils could increase the equity of Green Deal implementation, and also how such a role can best be supported. Download here.

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Can localism deliver on the green agenda?

25 November 2011: Interesting Guardian article addressing the following – ‘The coalition has promised to be the greenest government ever, but councils could use decentralisation to avoid cutting carbon?’

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Local Authority Interactive Maps for Insulation, PVs, and Fuel Poverty

24 November 2011:  Press notice from DECC today announcing that  “As part of the Government’s commitment to be open and accountable to the public and to support local authorities and other users in understanding and comparing data, DECC has today released:

This release, combined with the launch on Thursday 27 October 2011 of a sub-national energy consumption analytical tool, aims to aid users in comparing energy data between areas and over time.”

The four datasets covered by this new mapping tool are:

  • Cavity wall and loft insulation
  • Fuel poverty
  • Domestic solar photovoltaic installations
  • Gas and electricity consumption
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