Minutes

4        LOCAL AUTHORITY DELIVERY GREEN HOMES GRANTS PHASE 3 – The Director: Economy and Environment submitted a report advising the Cabinet Member of the outcome of the Sustainable Warmth Competition announced by BEIS and seeking approval to accept the grant funding made available to North Lincolnshire. This was to carry out a joint procurement exercise with North East Lincolnshire Council to secure a partner to deliver the sustainable warmth measures required by the funding. Delegating the decision to appoint a partner, based on the procurement exercise, to the Director: Economy and Environment.

The Government launched a sustainable warmth competition as part of their next round of funding for energy efficiency measures in the housing stock.

This funding combined the third phase of the Local Authority Delivery (LAD) Green Homes Grants (GHG), together with Home Upgrade Grant Phase 1 (HUG).

The council had already completed 2 rounds of LAD funding and were currently part way through the third round, in total amounting to nearly £2M in grant funding being spent on homes in North Lincolnshire, most of which were owner occupiers. This funding was helping to reduce energy loss, keep homes and occupiers warmer and reduce carbon emissions (one of the greenhouse gases).

In the case of LAD phase 3, the Government chose to offer the funding as part of a Sustainable Warmth competition open to all Local Authorities which also included the first round of HUG funding for low-income households off the mains gas supply.

The council’s bid to the fund was incorporated within a consortium bid led by the Midland Energy Hub (MEH), which is part of Nottinghamshire County Council.

The MEH provided support to local authorities delivering this funding through the provision of a “customer journey” partner who they had procured, and the council can use to help promote the fund and assess applicants, along with a Dynamic Procurement System (DPS) to help the council procure a partner to deliver the measures.

The council had been notified that the consortium bid was successful. If the funding was accepted, a proposal must be submitted outlining the total number of measures to be installed per scheme and the total number of homes. The allocated funding was shown on the report at paragraph 2.7. Based on previous LAD funding, the number of homes was likely to be 110 for LAD and 25 for HUG (but the actual number depended on the extent of the measures required which could only be judged at the time of assessment).

The council work closely with North East Lincolnshire (NELC) on affordable warmth matters in addition to the membership of the Greater Lincolnshire Energy Efficiency Network. This ensured better resource management.

Resolved – (a) That the acceptance of the funding be approved, (b) that the procurement exercise with NELC to obtain suitable delivery partner(s) be agreed, and (c) that the procurement and launch of a tender, and delegating the authority to award a contract to the Director: Economy and Environment be approved.