Minutes:
The Principal Climate Change and Sustainability Officer presented an update to Members on funding streams. The key points were as followed:
· LADS 1 – This scheme was led by Dartford Borough Council with some measures being delivered in the Dover District. It was noted that the new standards imposed on insulation measures from 1 November 2021 had resulted in significantly higher costs due to the requirement for additional ventilation, surveys and structural works and this had reduced the number of eligible properties.
· LADS 2 - Only one of the four Managing Agents had signed contracts with GSEEH. The alternative was for councils to use the funding allocated to their areas themselves. In the case of the Dover District this sum was £365,000. Due to concerns from Dover District Council and other authorities in Kent over legal documentation and GDPR implications it was considered unlikely without an extension to the 31 March 2022 deadline that the majority of the funding provided for LADS 2 would be spent in time.
· ECO4 – The commencement of ECO4 had been delayed although it was expected that there would be a transitional period between the end of ECO3 and the delayed start of ECO4. It was expected that the number of gas boiler replacements would be significantly reduced under ECO4.
· Household Support Fund - The Council shared the £171,826 in grants allocated to Dover District Council through Kent County Council to local partners - Dover and Deal Foodbanks, Deal and Sandwich Age Concern, Dover Riverside Centre, Dover District Citizens Advice Bureau, United Families and SWEP. The fund would support families and over 50s in food and/or fuel poverty over the winter months.
· There was £15,000 of additional funding secured from Kent County Council to provided funding to assist some residents to repair boilers and with ventilation works now required for insulation measures. The deadline for funding was the end of March 2022.
· Warm Home Fund – A joint funding bid with Dartford Borough Council with Dover District Council acting as the lead authority was submitted in January 2022. The funding was specifically focused on local authorities that had not received funding through the Sustainable Warmth Competition. The objective of the fund was to support decarbonisation and the council’s bid related to Air Source Heat Pumps and Hybrid Air Source Heat Pumps. There application included provision to allow for ECO4 changes and to enable the Council to take advantage of any new technological advances in the next 2 years.
· Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund – The second wave of funding was expected to open in spring 2022 and in preparation for this the Council had held discussions with Turner and Townsend (BEIS funded and appointed Consultants) to identify how the council could maximise its chances of a successful bid. It was hoped that a successful bid could support the decarbonisation of 1,500 units of housing stock.
The Head of Assets and Building Control stressed the importance of a strategy that would inform the Council in its bidding processes to help achieve net zero carbon for its housing stock.