Councillor Sarah Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning (Deputy Leader), approved the acceptance of up to £3.29 million in grant funding from the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH: SHF). This funding will be used to support a programme of retrofit and energy efficiency works for up to 403 social housing properties over the next three years.

Acceptance of Grant Funding for Social Housing Retrofit

The meeting saw the approval of a significant grant of up to £3,290,823 from the Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH: SHF) programme. This funding will be channelled through the London Councils (Retrofit London) Consortium, with Camden Council acting as the Lead Authority for the pan-London partnership.

Councillor Sarah Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning (Deputy Leader), resolved to:

• Enter into a consortium agreement with the London Councils (Retrofit London) Consortium and Camden Council for the WH: SHF Wave 3.
• Accept the grant funding of up to £3,290,823.
• Approve entering into legal agreements with the London Councils (Retrofit London) Consortium and the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ), including a grant funding agreement and a collaboration agreement.
• Approve up to 5% of the grant funding being retained by the London Councils (Retrofit London) Consortium as a management fee.
• Approve the overall programme budget.
• Approve the acceptance of any additional grant funding and match funding available through the Consortium over the three-year programme, up to £1.5 million, via delegated authority to the Director of Housing in consultation with the Corporate Director of Finance.
• Approve the procurement and appointment of the main consultant (MDC / Retrofit Designer / BRPD) under delegated authority by the Director of Housing, in consultation with the Corporate Director of Finance.

The decision to accept this funding is aimed at supporting the delivery of retrofit works to the council's social housing stock, ensuring these homes meet the regulatory standard for decency. This aligns with the objectives set out in the Housing Asset Management Strategy and the Housing Energy Action Plan. Participating in the pan-London approach offers Haringey Council opportunities for learning and collaboration with the 27 members of the London Councils (Retrofit London) Consortium, which comprises 21 boroughs and 6 housing associations. The programme's costs are expected to be accommodated within the existing budget allocations for carbon reduction and major works as outlined in the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

Alternative options considered included applying for government grant funding independently, but this was deemed to require an extensive level of internal resources for application and administration. The benefits of collaboration and shared learning within the consortium were considered too significant to forgo. The report also noted that not seeking government grant funding would render the programme financially unviable due to a shortfall for the necessary retrofitting and decent homes works.

The programme is scheduled to run from April 2025 to September 2028, with an average grant funding of £7,500 per property and a minimum average match funding of £7,500 per property. The works will ensure all properties reach a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) C rating. The programme will adhere to PAS 2035, the compliance process for domestic dwelling retrofits, which is mandatory for accessing government grant funding and ensures resident safety. Lessons learned from a previous pilot project have informed the approach, particularly regarding the time and cost of works, the need for an equitable rather than equal approach to energy efficiency measures, and data and procurement requirements.

The project is also linked to the Council's Climate Change Action Plan (2021) and Affordable Energy Strategy (2020), and supports the Corporate Delivery Plan 2024-2026 objective to deliver retrofit improvements in our housing stock, improving energy performance and reducing fuel poverty. It is estimated that over 15,000 households in the borough experience fuel poverty, and improving the energy efficiency of social housing is seen as a key means of addressing this. Furthermore, 50% of emissions in Haringey originate from domestic properties, making this project a potential showcase for reducing energy usage and emissions across the borough.

The report also highlighted the equality implications of the decision. Increased energy efficiency will benefit tenants, many of whom belong to groups over-represented among council tenants, such as Black people, older people, people with disabilities, those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, and women. Reducing carbon emissions is also seen as a measure to prevent future inequalities, as the climate crisis disproportionately impacts younger, lower-income, and marginalised groups. The appointed contractor will be required to adhere to the Public Sector Equality Duty.