Almost £8m extra funding set to be released to improve hundreds of social houses across the West Midlands

Almost £8 million extra funding is set to be released to improve hundreds of social houses across the West Midlands.

Members of the West Midlands Combined Authority’s (WMCA) Investment Zone is expected to approve the allocation of £7.8 million to the Building Retrofit Programme from the Warm Homes Social Housing Fund.

The aim of the programme is to improve housing, help slash energy bills for struggling residents while also reducing carbon emissions.

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker previously announced £167.1 million devolved energy efficiency funding would be allocated to deliver the retrofit scheme over three years.

This was then increased by £23.01 million in July and, if approved, the latest increase will see a total of £197,910,000 allocated to the programme.

The plan is for up to 14,000 of the region’s oldest and coldest social and privately-owned homes to be upgraded to make them warmer and cheaper to run.

Of the 10,700 social homes targeted, a report to the Investment Board said 2,000 have had the works completed in the scheme’s first year.

It added the additional funding will be utilised for an additional 700/800 homes to be included into the retrofit programme.

When the energy efficiency funding was announced last year, Mr Parker said they were embarking on the ‘most ambitious programme the region had seen’.

He said: “I pledged to deliver a mass insulation programme to make thousands of our homes warmer, safer, greener and cheaper to run. 

“This funding from Government will allow us to upgrade homes – cutting carbon emissions, cutting bills and most importantly, lifting thousands of families out of fuel poverty.

“We’re not just improving homes; we’re improving lives, and building a greener, fairer West Midlands for everyone.”

The additional funding will be discussed as WMCA Investment Board when it meets on Monday, November 16.