Rishi Sunak ‘will hobble Boris Johnson’s eco-drive if he axes £5,000 Green Homes Grant’
RISHI Sunak would hobble Boris Johnson’s eco-drive if he axes the Green Homes Grant, say environmental groups.
There are fears the Chancellor may chop the £5,000 payments at next month’s Budget amid concerns of low take-up.
Just days ago, MPs blasted the “snail’s pace” of the roll-out after it emerged that only 20,000 out of 600,000 grants for energy-saving improvements, such as better insulation and boilers, had so far been made.
Environment groups have written to the PM and Chancellor warning that the UK would “lose international credibility” if it cuts funding for the scheme.
Greenpeace, the National Trust, Friends of the Earth and a string of other groups and campaigners are urging them not to “allow the green stimulus to fail”.
In a letter seen by The Sun, they say the “eyes of the world” will be on the UK ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November.
The coalition claims that the scheme, if done right, could support 190,000 jobs until 2030 and kick-start a green revolution in the UK.
Ed Matthew, campaigns director at climate change think-tank E3G, said: “We need long-term funding to fix our leaky homes, the most badly insulated in western Europe.
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“The Green Homes Grant funding not spent this year must be rolled over to the next by the Treasury.
"This can get us on track to net-zero (carbon emissions) and boost green jobs in every part of the UK.”
Greenpeace UK’s head of climate Kate Blagojevic called for “warm homes, not hot air”.
A BEIS spokesperson said last night: “The Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme was designed to provide a short-term economic stimulus while tackling our contribution to climate change.
"However, the prevalence of Covid-19 since the scheme’s launch in September last year has led to an understandable reluctance on the part of the public to welcome tradespeople into their homes.
"In his Spending Review, the Chancellor announced £320 million for the scheme in the next financial year, as part of funding to make homes and public buildings more energy efficient.”
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