Cumbrian MP meets with Energy Minister to discuss home insulation campaign

This week, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron met with the new Minister for Energy Consumers, Martin McCluskey, to talk about financial support to help insulate homes.

According to research by Eurocell, Eden in Cumbria has the least energy-efficient housing in England. 4,319 (17%) of the 24,361 homes here are classed as either an F or G on the rating scale.

Tim and the minister were also joined via video link by Tina Holt from the charity Futureproof Cumbria.

The Minister told Tim and Tina that the Government are going to design a new home insultation programme and were keen to make sure that it reflected the needs of rural areas better than the current scheme.

Tim then followed up the meeting with a question in the House of Commons.

Speaking during Energy Security and Net Zero Questions, Tim said: “Will the Minister commit to an emergency home insulation programme beginning this winter for people on the lowest incomes so we can drive down their bills now and, more importantly, for good? 

“Will he also acknowledge, given our recent conversation, the realities of rural fuel poverty? In Westmorland, like in many other rural communities, 25% of houses were built before 1900, making them so much harder to insulate and more expensive to heat. Will the warm home discount be tailored to cut bills in rural communities too?”

Minister Martin McCluskey replied: “I was pleased to meet the honourable gentleman yesterday to discuss some of the issues in his constituency. 

“As we look at future schemes, we will look at how they can apply to different types of housing across the country. As for this winter, the support that we have put in place is the warm home discount, which is on offer to 6 million people across the country - that is one in six households - and comes to £150 off bills. 

“That is the support we are offering this winter. If he has other suggestions about how the warm home discount should operate, a consultation is running that closes next Thursday and I encourage him and organisations in his constituency to respond to that.”