Agenda item

Report of the Director for Placemaking and Housing.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning.

The Council Housing Energy Action Plan sets out the Council’s strategy for retrofitting its social housing stock, with detailed targets and outcomes for the period 2023 to 2028.

The Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning introduced the report which set out the Council’s Housing Energy Action Plan for its housing stock and how energy efficiency retrofits would be implemented across the Council’s housing portfolio. 

Councillor Hakata added that this was one of the most ambitious programmes, and the financial pledge from the Council underlined the commitment to Climate Change.  There would be a number of benefits arising from the programme – improvements to air quality in homes and investment in the local supply chain.

In response to questions from Councillor Emery, the following information was provided:

-       There were some properties on the Coldfall Estate not included in the plan because they had already been assessed as meeting a high EPC rating.

-       Programme leads were working with Housing Services to ensure that a similar service would be made available to leaseholders.  The Council offered a number of schemes for leaseholders to help pay for the works required.

RESOLVED to

1.            Approve the policy, management, and design approach of retrofitting the Council’s housing stock as set out in this report and the Housing Energy Action Plan attached (Appendix A).

2.            Agree the prioritisation criteria for retrofitting the council housing as set out in section 6.3 of this report.

3.            Agree that following a draft retrofitting design and identification of funding to deliver the necessary measures the Council will undertake consultation with those affected to secure community views on the measures proposed in properties that have been identified as appropriate for a retrofit. This consultation will be carried out in line with the approach set out in the Housing Energy Action Plan and will be concluded before designs are finalised.

4.            Agree that the outcome of the consultation be reported to the Director of Placemaking and Housing to authorise finalised designs in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning.

5.            Agree to delegate authority to the Director of Placemaking and Housing after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning, the Director of Finance and the Head of Legal and Governance, to accept funding and enter into funding agreement(s) that will support the delivery of the works identified within the Housing Energy Action Plan, from external sources such as the SHDF in the event that any future bid is successful.

6.            Agree that subject to agreement of the above stages (3.1 through to 3.5) the first batch of properties to be retrofitted will be selected from the properties listed in Section 6.6.8 of this report. 

Reasons for decision

The Haringey Climate Change Action Plan sets a target for the Council’s Housing stock to be an average EPC rating of B by 2035 and EPC A, where technically feasible, by 2041. Nearly all the existing Council housing stock will require some form of retrofit to meet these targets. Adopting this 5-year Action Plan will ensure that the retrofit targets are met in a cost-effective manner, while minimising technical risk, improving comfort levels and protecting tenants from increasing energy prices.

Retrofitting the Council’s housing stock requires significant investment. The Action Plan will set a clear plan of the measures and costs, this will enable the Council to confidently bid for external funding. Securing Government funding, such as from the £800m Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF), will reduce the ask on the Council’s capital HRA budget.

The increasing cost of energy is significantly impacting on our tenants. It is estimated one in four of the borough’s homes is in fuel poverty. The approach set out in this report and appendices will support tenants with these costs.

Alternative options considered

Do nothing

This was rejected as it would not meet the Council’s targets set in Haringey’s Climate Change Action Plan. It may also result in ad-hoc retrofits being undertaken which do not meet the targets or are not cost effective.

Adopt a 10-year retrofit plan

The retrofit sector is evolving. New technologies may emerge, and the cost of installations may reduce as the market responds to the net zero agenda.  It is recommended that a 5-year plan is adopted with the view to learn and adapt the Council’s approach at the end of the period.

Delay and wait for a clear technical roadmap

The Council could wait for a national regulatory framework or for other local authorities to determine the best approach before commencing its retrofit programme.  However, the Council has declared a Climate Emergency, and this would jeopardise meeting the Haringey Climate Change Action Plan commitments and tenants would continue to face rising energy prices and/or fuel poverty.  Opportunities to reduce costs by factoring in energy efficiency measures when carrying out planned maintenance, such as boiler or window replacements, would also be lost.

Consult on the Action Plan with the wider community

The Council has already published and consulted on its Affordable Energy Strategy (adopted July 2020), and the Borough’s Climate Change Action Plan (adopted March 2021). Further consultation is unlikely to add any more detail to the measures proposed. Any delay in implementation of the Council Housing Energy Action Plan would not reflect the need for action which is required to respond to the cost-of-living crisis.