Decision details

Purpose of Report: A capital budget has previously been approved to deliver energy retrofit works to council homes. This report will identify opportunities for utilising this funding to reduce the carbon emissions from our council housing stock whilst also helping to reduce fuel poverty.

The Executive  will be asked to approve recommendations related to the use of a capital budget to deliver council house energy retrofit works.

Resolved:  (i)      That the outcomes of the pre-decision scrutiny undertaken at the Housing & Safer Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Committee be noted.

                   (ii)      That the objectives of the Council Housing Retrofit programme be approved.

                   (iii)     That Option 3 (commence decarbonisation work in tandem with strategy development work) be approved as the preferred option to allocate the agreed capital budget.

                   (iv)    That the ambitions for carbon neutrality be incorporated into the Housing Asset Strategy and plans.

                   (v)     That funding and investment models to support the decarbonisation of council and private homes in York be explored and a further report be brought to Executive setting out proposals in respect of these.

                   (vi)    That authority be delegated to the Assistant Director of Housing & Community Safety, in consultation with the Executive Member for Housing & Safer Neighbourhoods, to apply for grant opportunities to further support York residents to access their own energy saving grants.

Reason:     To improve the energy performance of some of the city’s poorer-performing council houses, both to reduce energy bills and to support the council’s ambition for York to be carbon neutral by 2030, while taking the first steps in creating a pipeline of retrofit work in York which will support skills development and new green jobs.