Issue - items at meetings - Residential Retrofit – Grant Funding Opportunities to Accelerate Delivery

This report seeks decisions to deliver further retrofit works in the private and social housing sector as well as supporting future retrofit activity through advice and support.

Resolved:

i. Delegated authority to the Director of Housing and Communities in consultation with the Director of Finance, and Director of Governance, to accept funding offered by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero for the Warm Homes: Local Grant programme and to sign the memorandum of understanding to enable delivery of the works;

ii. Delegated authority to the Director of Housing and Communities in consultation with the Director of Finance, and the Director of Governance, to procure a partner to the deliver the Warm Home: Local Grant programme, including entering into the delivery contract with the successfully procured new partner for April 2025 to March 2028 or March 2030 if funding is provided beyond 31 March 2028;

iii. Delegated authority to the Director of Housing and Communities in consultation with the Director of Finance, and the Director of Governance, to accept funding offered by the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero for the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund programme and to sign the memorandum of understanding to enable delivery of the works;

iv. Delegated authority to the Director of Housing and Communities in consultation with the Director of Finance, and the Director of Governance, to procure a partner to the deliver the Warm Home: Social Housing Fund project, including entering into the delivery contract with the successfully procured new partner for April 2025 to March 2028.

Reason: To deliver the council’s ambitions for minimising the

energy bills of those residents facing financial challenges, supporting health and wellbeing, building the local green economy, and retrofit supply chains, and reducing carbon emissions in the city and to ensure the provisions of the Subsidy Control Act 2022 are complied with.

The Assistant Director for Housing introduced the report, noting the Council’s objectives to reducing carbon emissions, reduce poverty, and improve the health of residents in the city. He confirmed that the Council had received two grants to support retrofit work, one of £2 million pound for support in private sector housing and £1.4 million for work on Council housing which the Council was proposing to include an additional £1 million of funding.

The Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities welcomed these successful bids for funding and stated that this was an endorsement of the work the Council was undertaking on retrofitting homes. He noted the importance for retrofit work in supporting people out of poverty, addressing climate change, and developing construction skills in the city.