Give us certainty to deliver better homes

Efforts by the North East Combined Authority and the Government to improve housing quality and tackle fuel poverty deserve recognition, and we’re broadly supportive of their aims and ambitions.

In a region where cold, poorly insulated homes remain a stubborn reality for many families, the creation of initiatives such as the North East Warm Homes Taskforce signals a serious attempt to address a problem that affects both living standards and public health.

Keian Sanchez and I co-founded our company in 2015 and it has evolved significantly from a surveying and compliance company in the social housing sector to one that delivers domestic energy assessments, retrofit co-ordination, energy modelling and fabric-first upgrade planning.

We see ourselves as part of the solution to the challenge, and while we welcome the direction of travel, the success of the Government’s ambitions will depend on whether national policy provides the clarity and stability needed to turn plans into delivery.

The national programme includes a £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme intended to support around 300,000 new homes and improve housing standards across England.

For a region with large numbers of older, inefficient properties, that investment could help modernise the housing stock and reduce household energy bills.

The North East Combined Authority is pushing forward; the Warm Homes Taskforce was launched to bring together councils, housing providers and industry to improve housing quality and develop a large-scale retrofit strategy.

The logic is clear: improving insulation, heating systems and overall energy efficiency is one of the most effective ways to reduce fuel poverty while also cutting carbon emissions.

Yet ambition alone is not enough.

One of the biggest barriers to progress remains uncertainty about funding and policy direction; householders considering retrofits and installers looking to expand capacity both need long-term clarity about support available.

This uncertainty is particularly damaging for the green energy supply chain.

Some smaller retrofit and renewable energy firms are struggling while they wait for clearer guidance on future funding streams and programme rules.

Businesses that installed insulation, heat pumps or energy efficiency upgrades during earlier schemes are now caught in a holding pattern.

If these companies disappear, the region risks losing the very expertise needed to deliver large-scale housing improvements.

The North East Combined Authority’s sound approach shows regional leadership can help co-ordinate solutions and advocate for communities facing the worst fuel poverty.

But success ultimately depends on a stable national framework.

Long-term funding commitments, consistent standards and clearer guidance would give green energy companies the confidence to invest and households the reassurance to upgrade their homes.

If the Government’s housing and energy reforms are to achieve their promise, they must move beyond announcements and into dependable delivery.

The North East is ready to act.

But it needs certainty from the centre to make warmer and healthier homes a reality.

Andrew Wilkinson is director at North Shields-based Greener Solutions Group

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