Warm, safe homes for council tenants given £2.9m boost

The funding is to be added to the £8m already committed by the councils to install energy saving measures in social housing, taking the total investment pledged for retrofitting and decarbonising to almost £14m across both districts over the next 4 years. 

This work not only helps lower income households by delivering warm and energy efficient homes, but also lifts tenants out of fuel poverty by helping to save money on energy bills.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has announced that Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils have received a provisional allocation of £2,959,214 as part of the latest round of awards from the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund.  

Work is already underway to tackle 100 council properties with the lowest EPC (energy performance certificate) ratings by adding a range of improvements, including cavity and loft insulation, new windows, PV panels and air source heat pumps. This week’s announcement means plans can now be made for the next 150 homes, helping the councils’ to meet their aim of ensuring all properties achieve a good state of energy efficiency by 2027.

Babergh District Council cabinet member for housing, Cllr Jessie Carter said:

“This additional funding provides a welcome boost to our work to improve our council housing stock, and – more importantly – the lives of our tenants by making their homes warmer and more energy efficient.  It also helps our ambitious goals in reducing Babergh’s carbon footprint and helping to tackle climate change.”

Cllr Richard Winch, cabinet member for housing and property in Mid Suffolk, said:

“Together with the money we have previously committed to accelerate repairs and improvements to council homes across our districts, this funding helps us to further improve standards for our tenants, ensuring council homes are less expensive to heat as well as helping us to make real progress in retrofitting and decarbonising our social housing.

“Alongside our Cosy Homes initiative which supports energy efficiency in the private sector for residents and landlords across Mid Suffolk – and Warm Homes Suffolk that supports people across the county, we are committed to making a practical difference to quality of life and climate change in our district.”

Mid Suffolk District Council’s Cosy Homes initiative offers a free retrofit assessment of properties and up to £5,000 in funding to cover the installation of any recommended measures and remedial work.  The scheme is open to households in Mid Suffolk with an income of less than £80,000 and less than £40,000 in savings.  

Meanwhile, Warm Homes Suffolk also offers grants for energy efficiency measures to private households and landlords with a gross income under £36,000.  Find out more information on the councils’ websites.

Babergh and Mid Suffolk, working closely with Historic England, will also be the first councils in the country to introduce an ambitious package of measures to make sensitive energy efficiency improvements to listed buildings quicker and easier.