Chancellor announces £2bn Green Homes Grant

In his speech earlier today (July 8), Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a new £2bn Green Homes Grant to retrofit homes and buildings across the country. 

From September, homeowners and landlords will be able to apply for vouchers of up to £5,000 per household and the full cost up to £10,000 for low-income households.

Of this funding, £1bn will be allocated to public sector buildings and £50m will be used to decarbonise social housing.

This scheme is part of a wider £3bn green investment package that Sunak said will: ‘Save money; cut carbon, and create jobs.’

Friends of the Earth’s head of policy, Mike Childs, commented on this announcement: ‘This might be a green start, but it’s not yet a green recovery.

‘The Chancellor said his investment will insulate 650,000 homes and create 140,000 jobs. Over the next decade, 15 million homes need insulation to eradicate fuel poverty and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

‘The Autumn budget must spell out a multiyear funding programme on energy efficiency and a plan to switch homes from gas heating to heat pumps, as well as the obvious need for more investment in public transport, walking, cycling and nature restoration.

‘With the government saying it will spend £27 billion on roads and so far only announced £3 billion extra on climate change today this is not yet the green recovery that’s clearly needed.’

Chris Venables, head of politics at Green Alliance, also commented: ‘Today’s speech could mark a really positive first step on the green recovery – but only if this ambition is continued throughout the rest of the year, and particularly in the Autumn budget.

‘We urgently need to see a clear funding strategy for supporting public transport in its time of crisis, a long term strategy to ensure all buildings are warm and cheap to run, reversing the catastrophic declines in nature, and investing the technology of the future.

‘The jury is still very much out on how green the UK government’s recovery will be – and we’ll be watching over the coming weeks and months.’

Photo Credit – Pixabay