New Government heating plan "kick in the teeth for poorest families facing soaring bills"  

Reacting to the Government's new low carbon heating announcement, Liberal Democrat Climate Change Spokesperson Councillor Jake Sampson said that "These plans are a kick in the teeth for the poorest families across the country facing soaring energy bills this winter.

"The proposals will do nothing to lift people out of fuel poverty. The £450m fund may appear like an eye-catching investment, but this will only provide grants for 0.3% of homes across the country, whilst millions of households face record high bills due to rising gas prices. On top of this, heat pumps can cost between £6,000 and £18,000 depending on the type of pump and size of property. This means that even with the grant, residents facing fuel poverty may not be able to cover the remaining costs."

Councillor Sampson added "Whilst we support the installation of heat pumps in homes, as they can be much better for the environment than traditional gas boilers and have cheaper running costs, this policy is a drop in the ocean of what is needed to reduce our energy consumption. As well as this, we urgently need an emergency ten-year programme to retrofit our homes, cut emissions and end fuel poverty, which will also create thousands of new green jobs. The Conservatives' lack of ambition and investment mean that these green strategies will continue to fall short of what is needed to tackle fuel poverty alongside the climate emergency."