Foreword
WMCA Citizen’s Panel:
Retrofit and Devolution
Why retrofit?
Additional Outcomes
Health:
•10% of excess
winter deaths are
directly attributable
to fuel poverty
•Afifth of excess
winter deaths are
attributable to the
coldest quarter of
homes
Fuel Poverty
•Estimated 235,512
fuel poor homes in
the region
•Highest rates in the
country, over 40% of
homes in some
areas
WM2041
•Residential
properties account
for 17-21% of global
emissions
•1.1 million homes in
the region need
efficiency
improvements
What we’re working on
Market development
support
•Engaging supply
chain to understand
opportunities and
needs
•Understanding
housing stock and
customer needs
•Seeking funding to
help overcome
barriers
Demonstrator
projects
•Managing delivery
of retrofit projects
•Seeking to improve
quality of work
taken
•Gathering useful
learning
Capacity building
•Bidding for funding
from government
•Advising and
supporting partners
•Representing
region’s needs to
government
However, government
funding is often short
term and doesn't meet
our region's needs.
What’s next - Devolution
What we want
devolved funding to
achieve
•More flexibility in terms of
which homes and types of
work can be funded
•More of a focus on real
world performance – i.e.
does it actually work
•Ability to bring in more
funding – e.g. private
finance
•Use some funding to
remove barriers that stop
retrofit from happening
Why pursue devolved
funding?
Current roadblocks
•Funding is short-term and
difficult to complete
projects in timescales
•Stop start funding doesn't
give installers confidence
•Focus of projects can be
too restrictive – excluding
certain homes or types of
work
Context
•March 2023 – Trailblazer
Devolution Deal agreed
•Commitment to pilot a
single, multi-year funding
agreement for the region,
including funding for
retrofit
•We are now consulting
on the terms of the single
funding settlement
How you can help
Help us shape the terms of the single funding settlement to best fit the needs of the region
Prompt Questions:
What outcomes do you want to see for retrofit across the region?
What should the focus for retrofit funding be to achieve these outcomes?
How should a devolved fund best encourage participation from citizens?
How do you feel about a focus on real life performance (rather than estimated savings)? And
would you be willing to sharing non-identifying data to support learnings, e.g. energy usage, air
quality, etc?