Has anything really changed?

Today marks the halfway point of the UK's Presidency of COP, and just 6 months until world leaders meet in Egypt. It comes just days after we heard there is now only a 50/50 chance that we can keep global temperatures below the 1.5 degree increase from pre-industrial levels by the end of this decade. So what's changed from a domestic perspective, in particular relating to homes?

The Queen's Speech just last week promised to clamp down on protesters but give neighbours the chance to block development. We have to hope that the highly publicised ' street votes' will be restricted only to positive input over design codes and building quality that can enhance a neighbourhood, and that the increased timeframe for the implementation of local plans will enable planning authorities to be more agile on improving the environmental requirements for development.

What appears to have been absent from the big announcements was the challenge of improving the fabric of our homes. There was no mention of supporting people - be they homeowners or renters - to retrofit their homes to eliminate fuel poverty and reduce our carbon footprints

22% of the UK's Carbon Emissions come from our homes, and yet measures that will benefit people and the planet seem to be given low priority.        

The Energy Saving Trust found that 96% of people were concerned about energy efficiency so instead of clamping down on Insulate Britain the Government would do well to take their lead and fund measures to do what they ask - insulate Britain.

In the year before the Ukraine War, and the hike in energy costs over half a million households had fallen behind on their energy bills. With monthly direct debits now reaching ￡300 for many homes, it is likely this will become more commonplace.

Councils around the country have committed not only to their own Net Zero (mostly within the next 8 years) but to lead their communities in reaching Net Zero before 2050. They are one of just a handful of organisations that engage with EVERY home, they could be the driver to improve EVERY home, diverting cash that's effectively burned to create profit for energy firms back into the local economy and community services.

But despite their best efforts, councils are progressing at a snail's pace. The Government handed out funds to local authorities in 2021 as part of the Green Homes Grant aimed at targeting those in most need. In most cases the homes to be upgraded represent a tiny proportion of the need, and unless escalated will see families waiting until the 2030s before they benefit or before the industry has developed sufficiently for the private housing market to join in.

Alok Sharma said today that 'time is running out' and he called on countries to 'look again at their NDCs, not at some vague point in the future, but this year, in 2022.’

I think perhaps it's time for the Government to ask councils to look again, to expect councils to produce a more robust climate plan. In the Cratus2050 project to create a database of strategies and assess where each authority is, the biggest issue has been consistency. Whilst local ownership and priorities need to be considered, it is difficult for residents and those who need to understand how to engage with councils to see how much progress is really being made without a set of minimum standards.

For accountability to work and for real progress to be made, every council should be able to say where they started, where they are and where they are going, otherwise we always going to wasting time trying to understand what good looks like when that energy should be used to make change happen.