Sunak’s spring update must face the energy crisis - Kate Campbell

Today we’ll hear the chancellor’s spring statement. Usually an update on the country’s finances, but this year, with the cost of living crisis spiralling and the devastating war in Ukraine, he must do more than that.
Edinburgh City Council’s housing, homelessness and fair work convenor, Councillor Kate Campbell.Edinburgh City Council’s housing, homelessness and fair work convenor, Councillor Kate Campbell.
Edinburgh City Council’s housing, homelessness and fair work convenor, Councillor Kate Campbell.

Will he act decisively, u-turning on the national insurance hike which will hit ordinary people hardest, or reinstate the uplift to universal credit? Will he prevent destitution among older people by putting back the triple lock for pensions? And will he fund these interventions by a windfall tax on the oil and gas industry, currently raking in record profits?

Or will he do the bare minimum, hiding behind an ideology that says the markets look after themselves. Never mind the collateral damage to lives and livelihoods as the markets readjust.

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My expectations, unfortunately, are low. This is a Tory government who have done very little to protect people hardest hit by the pandemic, by Brexit and now by the geopolitical uncertainty of war in Europe, all of which are contributing to rising costs as wages stagnate.

So we must do what we can locally. At the council we’re making direct payments of £150 to all families and households in receipt of council tax reduction, and a further payment of £100 for every child receiving free school meals. This will go some way to helping hard-pressed residents this year, but we must look to the longer term.

Energy costs will continue to be one of the biggest pressures. But while the news is full of discussions on the need for an ‘energy supply strategy’ there has been surprisingly little discussion on the need for an ‘energy efficiency strategy’.

At the council we’ve had what we call a ‘fabric first’ approach for some time. It’s about making sure that homes are as energy efficient as possible in order to reduce energy consumption – and bring down bills.

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The report we have tomorrow, on the investment we’ll make this year in council housing, is focussed on improving energy efficiency.

There’s £60m in the budget to build new council houses – and every new council house being designed from now onwards will be a net zero carbon home. But we’ve also got a plan in place to make all our existing homes net zero too.

We’ll continue with rolling investments in homes, with just under £28m for internal and communal works – like new kitchens and bathrooms, rewiring, new doors and windows. But we’re also setting out an ambitious programme to meet carbon reduction targets and, crucially, help tenants keep energy costs down. There’s £17.5m earmarked for this work, an increase of £5m we put in place at the budget last month.

In simple terms this involves wrapping insulation around buildings – like at May Court and Gunnet Court in Muirhouse, and at blocks in Murrayburn. But also making sure that roofs, doors and windows are in good condition.

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Tenants and residents living in these refurbished blocks are already feeling the benefit, both to their quality of life and to the cost of living. And that will always be our priority at the council.Kate Campbell is SNP Councillor for Portobello-Craigmillar and Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener

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