London receives £58 million of devolved funding to retrofit homes

The new Home Energy Saving Fund represents London’s share of £295m announced by Government to retrofit social housing, as part of its landmark £15 billion Warm Homes Plan. 

This is the first devolved funding to London for retrofit, giving the city the control over how the new fund can be most effectively targeted to those most in need. 

The funding will be delivered by the Mayor of London, with support from Warmer Homes London. WHL is an organisation governed jointly by London Councils and the Mayor of London: this means that all tiers of London’s government will be working collaboratively in overseeing the delivery of this funding. 

WHL is designed to address long-standing barriers to retrofit, by providing delivery partners, including boroughs and housing associations, with the tools, funding, and infrastructure needed to upgrade homes at scale. It currently delivers London’s Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund Strategic Partnership, and supports the GLA on the delivery of the Warm Homes: Local Grant programme. 

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:  “Thousands of Londoners are living in inadequate homes that are freezing and damp in winter and unbearably hot during summer heatwaves. With this new funding,  we can transform these homes for the future, making them more energy efficient, while also driving down bills and improving living conditions. 
“As well as reducing fuel poverty, this will boost our economy, delivering more green jobs and skills so we can continue to scale up retrofitting across the city, supporting more Londoners to heat and cool their homes and reduce carbon emissions as we continue to build a fairer, more prosperous city for everyone.”

Mete Coban, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy, and Warmer Homes London Co-Chair said: “I welcome this significant investment from Government which enables us to urgently scale up retrofit across the city, improving the energy efficiency of Londoners’ homes and delivering on our net zero commitments.  

“No one should have to spend winter in a cold, damp home but 10 per cent of Londoners are currently living in fuel poverty, forced to make the difficult decision between heating and eating. 

“We’ve now delivered over 1,000 homes through Warmer Homes London - demonstrating on our commitment to reducing fuel poverty. By making homes cheaper to heat and cool, and improving indoor air quality, we are delivering healthier homes for Londoners and a fairer London for everyone.”

Councillor Stephen Cowan, Chair of London Councils said: "This devolved funding is hugely welcome and vital for ensuring that more Londoners benefit from greener, healthier and more affordable homes. Through Warmer Homes London, London Councils and the Mayor are working together to make sure this funding reaches those who need it most, in partnership with boroughs and housing associations.
“Today's announcement demonstrates how London's different tiers of government working effectively together delivers better outcomes for our residents: fewer homes affected by damp and mould, more families moving out of fuel poverty, and quality local jobs being created".