REPORT TO Corporate Director of Health and Adult Services (HAS) in consultation with Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health Integration and the Executive Member for Public Health, Prevention and Supported Housing, including Sustainability and Transformation Plans.
14 January 2022
SUSTAINABLE WARMTH GRANT
1. Purpose of the report
The purpose of this report is to highlight the need and gain approval to procure a solution for the spending of the allocated grant for Sustainable Warmth.
2. Background
NYCC has led a consortium with three district councils (Scarborough, Ryedale and Hambleton) and was successful in the latest round of Government funding to tackle fuel poverty as part of the seasonal health strategy.
The bid set out how we would target wards with the highest rates of fuel poverty and the worst homes first. The NYCC consortium has been successful in bidding for:
1. Local Authority Delivery (LAD) Phase 3: £3,728,747.83 to support low-income households heated by mains gas. This will provide 395 measures such as solar PV, hybrid air source heat pumps, loft insulation, underfloor insulation and external wall insulation.
2. Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) Phase 1: £4,652,906.12 for low-income households with homes off-gas grid through the Home Upgrade Grant (HUG) scheme. This will provide 440 measures such as solar PV, high retention storage heaters, air source heat pumps, loft insulation, underfloor insulation and external wall insulation.
The funding will provide upgrades to low-income households living both on and off the gas grid to tackle fuel poverty and contribute towards net zero targets. It will help some of the least efficient homes become more energy efficient and cheaper to heat with low-carbon energy. These upgrades aim to create warmer homes at lower cost, and will support low-income families with the switch to low-carbon heating, ensuring fuel poor households are not left behind in the transition to net zero.
We need to procure a provider who will deliver this programme on our behalf and will complete activities such as marketing, taking enquiries from potential households, checking eligibility and carrying out the work in individual properties. All measures must be completed by 31st March 2023.
3. Issues for consideration
There is a need to identify a provider as soon as is practical using a compliant route in order to deliver the project within the timescale. We plan to procure using a framework.
4. Performance Implications
Performance of the successful provider will be managed by Align property partners and funding has been identified in the grant for this. A project board has been established to oversee the programme.
5. Financial Implications
The sustainable warmth funding fully covers the cost of this work. This includes some administration funding that the council will retain to pay for contract management support and legal advice and some to the successful provider to deliver the project.
The funding has already been paid into NYCC and if properties cannot be found then the money will need to be returned to BEIS at the end of the project. We will pay the provider after each installation so this reduces any risk to the council.
6. Legal Implications and Governance compliance
The contract will be procured in line with the Public Contract Regulations 2015 and NYCC internal Governance including Gateway reports. Our legal team are also reviewing the documentation and terms that will be used within the procurement process to ensure compliance and cover for NYCC.
A project board has been established and project support has been allocated from Technology and Change.
7. Equalities Implications
The funding will help to reduce health inequalities relating to fuel poverty.
8. Recommendation
It is recommended that the Authority source a compliant route to the market to appoint a single supplier to identify properties, retrofit co-ordinate, assess and design the solutions and then carry out the works.
Authors Carly Walker and Antonia Smith
Date 20th December 2021