South Shropshire MP, Philip Dunne, has welcomed government investment of £160m to make social housing more energy efficient.

The Government is investing £160 million as part of our Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, upgrading the windows, heating systems and doors of 38,000 of the UK’s least energy-efficient social rented homes - taking them from EPC ratings of D or below to a minimum C rating.

This investment will help tenants save around £170 per year on energy bills, while making their homes warmer and reducing carbon emissions.

The Environmental Audit Committee, which Mr Dunne chairs, called for frontloading of energy efficiency measures for social housing, to meet the commitment outlined in the 2019 Conservative manifesto. The announcement is the part of the first wave of funding out of a total £3.8 billion, outlined in the 2019 Conservative manifesto, to be spent over a 10-year period.

Mr Dunne said:

“This announcement is a welcome step for local authorities and registered providers of social housing to apply to the first wave of the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. I am encouraging Shropshire Council to apply and make use of this opportunity to help slash emissions from the UK’s housing stock and save local residents money on their bills.

“While this funding is welcome, there are almost two million socially rented homes below EPC rated C, so the scale of the decarbonisation challenge here is significant. That is why the Environmental Audit Committee called for the £3.8 billion committed to in the 2019 Conservative manifesto to be frontloaded and rolled out without delay.”