West Midlands mayor launches £167m retrofit fund

It is the largest-ever home energy efficiency programme run by WMCA since the combined authority was created in 2016.

An estimated 254,000 households in the West Midlands are living in fuel poverty – one of the highest rates in the country. The region also has some of England’s least energy-efficient homes.

Alongside the home retrofit funding, WMCA will spend £36m to retrofit public sector buildings such as council offices, schools, colleges, the NHS and emergency services.

The mayor launched the fund during a visit to Friar Park in Wednesbury, Sandwell, where 200 homes built in the 1920s and 1930s are being improved with new insulation and solar panels.

Mr Parker said: “I pledged to deliver a mass insulation programme to make thousands of our homes warmer, safer, greener and cheaper to run. Today I am delivering on that pledge as we launch the most ambitious programme the region has ever seen.

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

Peter Hughes, cabinet member for regeneration and infrastructure at Sandwell Council, said: “We’re determined to tackle fuel poverty and climate change head-on. By making homes more energy efficient, here in Sandwell, we will provide the vital assistance that our residents need.

“This will help them to make savings on their energy bills during this cost of living crisis, while, at the same time, ensuring a more sustainable future for everyone in the borough.”

Rachel Jones, chief executive of energy advice charity Act on Energy, said: “This new funding is a welcome relief for thousands of households across the region who are still struggling with high energy bills and cold and damp homes.

“The cheapest energy is the energy we don’t use, so conserving heat in the home with insulation, combined with greener energy technology, will not only help to keep residents warmer and safer, but also help to lower bills for the longer term.”

WMCA said the retrofit funding would help the region’s pledge to hit net zero by 2041 and create jobs in supply chains.

Almost 1,000 people have successfully completed retrofit training courses funded by the WMCA since May 2024 to install green technology and insulation in homes.

Mr Parker unseated Andy Street as West Midlands mayor in May 2024. In his election manifesto, he promised to build 2,000 social rent homes a year by 2028, adding up to 20,000 in total by the end of the decade.