Glasgow City Region announces practical approach to deliver retrofit and support UK and Scottish Government targets for net zero
Next week the eight Glasgow City Region councils will share a new strategy and action plan which sets out a series of practical steps to grow and accelerate the number of properties in the City Region that are retrofitted to be more energy efficient.
The plan will be launched during a series of events to mark Glasgow City Region Retrofit Action Week which takes place from 8 -16 February.
Kevin Rush, Director of Regional Economic Growth at Glasgow City Region said:
“Local councils have a key role to play in supporting UK and Scottish Government targets for net zero. Retrofitting homes to make them more energy efficient, as well as to tackle fuel poverty, is a vital part of that.
“ From an independent study, we know that retrofitting homes across Glasgow City Region is required at an unprecedented scale and pace to meet net zero targets. With this in mind, and in the absence of a clear national mission to deliver retrofit at scale, we have put forward a series of recommendations and practical steps, including for the Scottish Government, to support us to deliver more local retrofit activity, more quickly.”
Since the Climate Emergency was declared in 2019, there has not been a significant increase in funding from government to deliver retrofit activity or any major changes in policy. In the six years since 2019, the step change in the number of homes being retrofitted has not materialised.
The Glasgow City Region Home Retrofit Strategy and Action Plan, produced in collaboration with all eight member councils as well as Skills Development Scotland and Scottish Enterprise, provides a series of recommendations that would take on some of the current practical challenges and boost retrofit activity across the Region and Scotland.
A copy of the strategy is available here
In particular, it highlights areas where the Scottish Government can act to improve delivery including looking at flexibility around existing funding for local authorities including criteria and timeframes. Other proposals include providing a more comprehensive package of funding and finance to support home owners in retrofit delivery and establishing a more comprehensive one-stop-shop to improve the customer journey and support homeowners along the retrofit pathway.
An independent study commissioned in 2021 by the Region concluded that approximately half of Regional domestic properties (428,000) are below EPC C and will require retrofit interventions.
It additionally suggested that to bring all 886,000 properties across Glasgow City Region up to net zero standard would require upwards of £20 billion of investment.
The eight Glasgow City Region member authorities are East Dunbartonshire Council, East Renfrewshire Council, Glasgow City Council, Inverclyde Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Renfrewshire Council, South Lanarkshire Council and West Dunbartonshire Council.
