Decision details

n early 2025, York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority (YNYCA) released the Carbon Negative Challenge Fund to support York and North Yorkshire’s ambition to become England’s first carbon negative region. The fund was designed to back innovative, inspiring projects that help communities reduce emissions and accelerate decarbonisation across the region. Projects supported through the fund aim to deliver measurable impact, drive regional change, and act as blueprints for a low-carbon future.

In March 2025, the Healthy and Sustainable Homes Service in City of York Council, in conjunction with partners of North Yorkshire Council and the University of Birmingham, submitted a pre-application for capital funding to YNYCA for a project to assess the impact of the installation of energy efficiency and retrofit measures in private homes on indoor air quality. This project is known as the Retrofit Energy and Air Quality Demonstrator Project.

In April 2025, the pre-application submission was approved by YNYCA for a formal business case application to be submitted for funding, with a formal business case being submitted in June 2025. This application was subsequently approved for funding of £421,000 at the end of October 2025.

Following confirmation of funding being allocated, a Grant Funding Agreement was produced by YNYCA and permission to sign the grant funding agreement was confirmed by City of York Council’s Executive on 27 January 2026 which stated

In relation to acceptance of the funding from the York and North
Yorkshire Combined Authority, Executive:

i) Accepts funding from the Authority, delegating authority to the Chief Strategy Officer to progress the below, in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing, Planning and Safer Communities or the Executive Member for Climate Change and the Environment:
a) £421k for the Carbon Negative Challenge Fund
https://democracy.york.gov.uk/documents/g15178/Decisions%20Tuesday%2027-Jan-2026%2017.30%20Executive.pdf?T=2

1. To sign the grant funding agreement to accept funding of £421k from York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to deliver the Retrofit Energy and Air Quality Demonstrator Project with funding from the Carbon Negative Challenge Fund (CNCF C025)

2. Not to sign the grant funding agreement to accept funding of £421k from York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to deliver the Retrofit Energy and Air Quality Demonstrator Project with funding from the Carbon Negative Challenge Fund (CNCF C025)

1. Not to sign the grant funding agreement to accept funding of £421k from York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to deliver a Retrofit Energy and Air Quality Demonstrator Project with funding from the Carbon Negative Challenge Fund (CNCF C025)