Peterborough Green Party seek to reduce fuel poverty with council budget change

Cllrs Nicola Day and Julie Howell, who both represent Orton Waterville ward, will on Wednesday call for the Conservative-run authority to recruit an energy efficiency officer who would initially be tasked with trying to access grant funding of up to £25 million to retrofit homes and help bring bills down.

The successful applicant would then be asked to link with the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority’s Growth Hub, and the new Peterborough university research centre - which will focus on zero carbon technologies - in order to “develop links to local firms and build a sustainable, Peterborough-centred supply chain”.

The amendment states: “By embedding the officer within the Growth Hub (which is connected with all local businesses in Peterborough), the council will ensure that Peterborough-based companies can begin to sell energy to wider areas of the Greater South East market, creating a supply chain that will eventually sell energy across the whole of the UK.”

This would tie in with a new Green Skills Centre due to be created at Peterborough Regional College to teach young people retrofitting skills.

Cllr Day said: “The Green Party’s budget amendment will give Peterborough residents access to affordable heat and ensure they are able to keep their homes warm. Not only will this help reduce fuel poverty, it will also play a large part in ensuring that Peterborough reaches its aim of becoming net carbon zero by 2030.”

She added that “the second phase of this project is very exciting” and will “lead to a green recovery from the Covid crisis that will be good for the city, its people and the environment”.

The budget will be voted on by councillors during Wednesday’s Full Council meeting.