Issue - meetings

This report provides a progress on delivering retrofit works following the success of attracting grant funding to support cross tenure improvement works and asks the Executive Member to decide the basis of the bid under Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 2 and to decide whether to undertake a programme of rapid energy improvement works utilising existing budgets.

Resolved:

         i)         That the progress on delivering retrofit works following the success of attracting grant funding to support cross tenure improvement works, be noted.

        ii)         That the allocation of £1.015m from the existing Housing Revenue Account (HRA) retrofit budget to match fund government grant under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Wave 2 Fund, be approved. That the proposed details of the submission of a grant bid of around £1m, therefore enabling a £2m retrofit project, be noted.

       iii)        That the full expenditure allocation for the £2m HRA Retrofit Fund approved by Executive in 2019/20, and the associated improvement of 190 low performing council homes to at least EPC C standard once this funding programme was complete, be noted.

      iv)        That the allocation of £60k from the existing retrofit budget to deliver around 250 ‘quick win’ retrofit works this winter to support some of our most vulnerable residents this winter, be approved.

Reason: To deliver the council’s ambitions for minimising tenants’ energy bills and supporting health and wellbeing, building the local green economy and retrofit supply chains, and reducing carbon emissions in the city.

The Executive Member considered a report that provided an update on the progress on delivering retrofit works following the success of attracting grant funding to support cross tenure improvement works.

The Head of Housing Delivery and Asset Management highlighted  the retrofit work completed to date and the works planned under Local Authority Delivery Phase 3 (LAD 3), the Home Upgrade Grant 1 (HUG1) and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 1 (SHDF W1) programmes.

He also stated that:

·        A new round of SHDF Wave 2 funding presented the opportunity to accelerate the council’s ambitions to deliver significant retrofit works to council housing stock. If successful, the £1m grant would be match funded by the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), therefore delivering over £2m of retrofit work to council houses over a two-year period starting in April 2023.

·        £60,000 could be allocated from the existing HRA retrofit budget to deliver ‘quick win’ improvements to around 250 tenants this winter. These works would not require a high level of specialist knowledge and much of the work would be rolled out from a single visit by a handyperson. 

·        The Retrofit Action Plan was under consultation and would be considered by Executive later this year.

The Executive Member noted the full spend profiles for the £2m Retrofit budget, which was approved by Executive in December 2020 and that should the application be unsuccessful, a further business case would be developed to support the allocation of these funds to retrofit works.

In answer to questions raised, officers confirmed that the handyperson vacancy was being advertised and the Executive Member commended the continuing progress being made to deliver and implement retrofit energy efficiency measures, particularly in council homes.

The Executive Member supported the ambition to scale up the retrofit programme to meet the council’s climate change targets, improve the thermal comfort of people’s homes and to support some of the council’s most vulnerable tenants in the short term through a series of ‘quick win’ measures.

Resolved:

         i)         That the progress on delivering retrofit works following the success of attracting grant funding to support cross tenure improvement works, be noted.

        ii)         That the allocation of £1.015m from the existing Housing Revenue Account (HRA) retrofit budget to match fund government grant under the Social Housing Decarbonisation Wave 2 Fund, be approved. That the proposed details of the submission of a grant bid of around £1m, therefore enabling a £2m retrofit project, be noted.

       iii)        That the full expenditure allocation for the £2m HRA Retrofit Fund approved by Executive in 2019/20, and the associated improvement of 190 low performing council homes to at least EPC C standard once this funding programme was complete, be noted.

      iv)        That the allocation of £60k from the existing retrofit budget to deliver around 250 ‘quick win’ retrofit works this winter to support some of our most vulnerable residents this winter, be approved.

Reason: To deliver the council’s ambitions for minimising tenants’ energy bills and supporting health and wellbeing, building the local green economy, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8

A Retrofit Action Plan is currently in preparation, setting out plans for decarbonising homes in York and tackling fuel poverty across all tenures. An update is provided in this paper of progress on the Plan and associated workstreams.

Resolved: 

i)  That the progress to date be noted on delivering retrofit works within council homes alongside the development of further analysis and options to deliver further improvements this year and beyond.

Reason: To deliver the council’s ambitions for minimising tenants’ energy bills, building the local green economy and retrofit supply chains, and reducing carbon emissions in the city.

ii)    That the ongoing preparation for a Social Housing Decarbonisation Wave 2 bid be noted following the council’s successful application for Wave 1 funding and that a business case for this investment will be brought forward later this year.

Reason: Grant funding of up to 50% of total costs can substantially increase the pace of retrofit improvements carried out in Housing Revenue Account (HRA) stock.

iii)  That the intention to submit a bid through the anticipated Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund “digitalisation” programme for building performance monitoring and data analytics technology be noted. This would need to be supported by HRA investment and a business case will be brought forward for approval prior to committing to this programme of works.

Reason: This technology can support better informed forecasting of residents’ energy bill savings following retrofit works. This will enable leverage of financial opportunities and facilitate learning opportunities as well as supporting the most effective investment in improvement works.

iv)  That the intention to continue work towards HRA stock decarbonisation within the Retrofit Action Plan, including commissioning of an evidence base to support this, be noted.

Reason: To identify long-term investment priorities and build on the existing stock analysis, and to provide net zero pathway options.

The Executive Member considered a report that provided an update on the progress on the Retrofit Action Plan and associated workstreams.

The Head of Housing Delivery and Asset Management provided an update on the retrofit works, outlining progress since the last update, including a timetable for future work to deliver the Retrofit Action Plan and the funding streams available.

The Executive Member noted that:

·        Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund Wave 1 (SHDF W1) and Local Authority Delivery 2 (LAD2) funding had been secured and was being used to improve a number of council homes through the installation of solarphotovoltaics (PV) panels, alongside a number of other measures in private rented and home ownership tenures through LAD2.

·        The Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) was currently being utilised to deliver fabric improvements to 28 council homes.

·        Stock modelling information, funded through LAD grant funding, had been received and it provided detailed analysis of our housing stock, including identifying opportunities for improvements. Utilising this information would identify opportunities for carbon reduction and produce some quick wins to hopefully help reduce residents’ energy bills this winter.

·        Home building performance monitoring technology provided valuable input into understanding data around temperature, humidity and ventilation. This knowledge would help to identify both opportunities for more efficient user choices as well as fabric home improvement opportunities.

·        The cost of retrofit works to deliver improvements across our council housing stock would be significant. One opportunity to meet this challenge included a “shared benefits charge” in future Housing Revenue Account retrofit investment programmes.

·        The Retrofit Action Plan set out plans for decarbonising homes in York and tackling fuel poverty across all tenures. It was important that the action plan was considered by Scrutiny and Executive to create a well-defined strategic approach to activities over the coming years. It was highly likely that the action plan would remain a live document, to respond to changes in technology, costs, and funding opportunities.

The Executive Member welcomed the report and annexes, noting the funding opportunities and the complexity to developing a Retrofit Action Plan across all tenures, particularly during a time of great change, in terms of the current cost of living crisis and the rise in energy bills. She stated that improvements to the energy efficiency of homes in the city would not only improve the comfort and the health of our homes but could significantly reduce energy bills and the overall demand for energy, which was crucial for our energy security, as well as reducing climate emissions at a local level.

The Executive Member also welcomed the work that was underway to explore quick energy efficiency wins that could be implemented this year to help council tenants to deal with rising energy bills. She agreed that the focus on our council housing stock could also work as a key driver for developing local skills in local building companies, as well as up skilling our own building services staff.

The Executive Member thanked officers for their report, and it was

Resolved: 

i)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4