Purpose

Warm Homes Local Grant (WHLG) is a Government funded scheme with the ambition of upgrading five million homes over the next three-to-five years to cut bills for families and deliver warmer homes to reduce fuel poverty. It will also help with reducing carbon emissions in support of the net zero target by 2050.

Following a rigorous bidding process, Thanet District Council has been awarded £1.5m in grant. This is split out as indicated below:

·  2025/26 - £475,050.00

·  2026/27 - £542,070.00

·  2027/28 - £531,100.00

·  TOTAL - £1,548,220.00

Decision

Cabinet agreed the following:

1. That officers accept and distribute the £1.55M (approx) funding allocated in accordance with the eligibility criteria set out in this report;
2. That delegated authority is given to the Head of Housing and Planning to agree with procurement colleagues a direct award to appoint an installer by calling them off of a framework that the Council is a member of.

Reasons for the decision

WHLG eligibility criteria is EPC D to G with 3 pathways:

·  Households which reside within Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) areas;

·  1-2 Means tested benefit;

·  Annual gross income below £36,000.

A report run on Parity Pathways shows that Thanet has:-

8,365 properties with a logged EPC D or lower in IMD 1-2 areas, either owner occupiers or private rented accommodation, 24,596 properties with a logged EPC D or lower, in all areas of the District, either owner occupiers or private rented accommodation. There is a high demand in Thanet for this grant funding and the benefits will include:

·  Helping keep homes warmer;

·  Lowering energy bills;

·  Reducing emissions in support of net zero 2050 target.

Alternative options considered

DESNZ stated administering the scheme would require a minimum of two full time member of staff, though 15% of the grant award for admin and ancillary costs does not provide sufficient funds to recruit those officers and advertise the scheme itself. There would be a requirement for a Retrofit Assessor and a Retrofit Coordinator and both would need to be fully qualified. Recruitment would delay the start and incur high cost implications.

Expertise would be required to onboard suppliers in a competitive field, ensuring all due diligence and checks were carried out and certifications were valid. This would delay the start and create a higher risk to the Council as it has not previously delivered a scheme in this way. It could also trigger a delay in starting on properties, meaning that there is a risk of the target for the first year's funding not being met.