Greens urge Government rethink on poorly funded Green Deal

The Green Party has criticised the government’s failure to implement the Green Deal with the required funding.

Nearly 1,800 jobs have been lost and another 1,100 are in danger as a result of the government’s inability to put energy efficiency policies into practise. The current insulation scheme ended a fortnight ago, and the replacement, which is funded by the Green Deal and the Energy Company Obligation, will not be properly funded for several months.

Councillor Andrew Cooper, Green Party energy spokesperson and chair of the Association of Green Party Councillors, said: “It is bizarre that the government's Green Deal is seeing a fall in the number of homes insulated and people employed in the insulation industry.” 

"Getting schemes wrong in this way is bad for the economy, doesn't tackle fuel poverty and shows a lack of urgency around the need to reduce carbon emissions.

“A positive, large-scale energy efficiency programme would generate huge energy savings which would see more money invested in the local economy, reducing peoples’ outgoings and seeing thousands in work, not to mention all the health benefits.

“The Green Party has been at the forefront of the most successful energy efficiency schemes in the country with thousands of homes insulated in schemes initiated and promoted by Green Party Councillors.

“In Kirklees the free insulation scheme that was carried out between 2007 and 2010 saw over 50,000 homes insulated and over £3million saved off peoples’ fuel bills. DECC’s own figures shows that this Green Party Initiative is the most successful in the country.

“Government should listen to the energy efficiency industry and have a major rethink about the Green Deal before it inevitably fails.”

Penny Kemp, Environment Spokesperson, said: "Failure by this Government to act on energy efficiency means that fuel poverty will increase, jobs will be lost, and the cost to the NHS will be greater.”

“The Green Party scheme is a win-win scheme. Jobs are created, fuel poverty is reduced and most importantly of all, lives are saved due to better home insulation, which also saves the NHS the £850m it spends each year on treating illnesses related to cold homes.

“Today, the Met Office tells us that we are entering a very cold spell, and each year up to 20,000 people die needlessly because of hard to heat homes."