Newsroom Archive

The council gave an update on its Affordable Warmth Strategy at cabinet today (Thurs) - outlining some of the ongoing initiatives and further planned activities which aim to support residents and businesses through the cost of living crisis.

Since the strategy was launched in April 2021, there has been a dramatic rise in energy prices meaning many more households are in, or threatened with, fuel poverty. 

Through the strategy, the council aims to reduce the number of fuel poor households and address inequalities by targeting those areas of the borough with the highest levels of fuel poverty.

It also aims to ensure residents live in a warm and comfortable home and recognises that poor quality housing can negatively affect health and wellbeing with excess cold impacting on all age groups in different ways within the home.

One of the key areas of focus is on raising energy awareness and providing support to households across the borough.

The council has worked in partnership with Marches Energy Agency (MEA) to develop the Telford Energy Advice hotline which is a single point of contact for all residents in need of energy advice and support.  

This advice line provides support and advice including measures to save energy and access funding and advise on using reputable installers.    

Over 3,500 households across the Borough benefitted from support in the last year including 360 home visits. 

Telford & Wrekin Council will provide top up funding to the TEA service to ensure more residents can access critical support through this critical time.

Since the launch of the strategy, the council has attracted more than £4m of grant to retrofit homes in areas with some of the highest levels of fuel poverty and low incomes in the borough.

Funding from The Local Authority Delivery (LAD2) programme has been used to retrofit 50 homes in Sutton Hill, with energy efficiency measures, including external wall insulation, loft insulation, cavity wall insulation, double glazing and solar panels. 

This programme of works has improved the energy efficiency rating of properties as well as reducing residents’ heating bills by up to £640 a year, and saving up to 600 kilograms of CO2 emissions each year. 

Through the LAD3 programme a further 144 properties with a low Energy Performance Rating, including households on low incomes in Donnington Ward, have been targeted for a programme of work to make them more energy efficient.

The council is also ensuring that the latest ECO4 funding is available to all vulnerable groups in the borough and has partnered with MEA to carry out eligibility checks and ensure households who are eligible are identified and supported.

Previously, ECO3 Flex funding brought energy provider investment of £360,000 to residents in the borough and benefited vulnerable households by funding heating and insulation measures.

Given the limitations of Government grants, the council is also directly investing £400,000 of Climate Change funding to provide energy efficiency measures for households who fall out of current Government funding criteria but are still classed as fuel poor. 

A Telford & Wrekin Council Emergency Boiler fund has also been created for emergency boiler replacements for low income households with a cold related illness without any form of rating. This pot is used as a last resort where no other form of heating can be installed.

As part of the council’s Cost of Living Strategy, which launched in October, a range of additional measures have also been announced to support on energy and utility costs.

They include including energy rebates for those in Band E and above on low incomes, gas and electric vouchers for those on pre-paid meters on low incomes, in emergency situations, and a pilot scheme to distribute low energy lightbulbs to those facing fuel poverty.  

Heating installers and contractors can legitimately cold call or door knock to check to see if households are eligible for work to be undertaken but residents can refuse if they feel uncomfortable with such checks.  Advice on using reputable installers is available via the TEA hotline.

Councillor Richard Overton (Lab), Telford & Wrekin Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing, Enforcement and Transport said: “Through our affordable warmth strategy we have already supported residents across the borough with a series of measures to help make homes more energy efficient and to help them reduce energy costs and we will continue to do so.

“Making sure our residents have somewhere warm and safe to live and protecting the most vulnerable members of our communities is of paramount importance to us.

“The strategy recognises some of the measures which have been implemented but also highlights further support which is in the pipeline and aligns with our cost of living strategy. 

“As a council which is on your side, we are committed to doing as much as we can to support households across the borough during these challenging times.”