Barnsley Council is planning to spend almost £1.85 million over the next three years across the borough to help people living in private sector housing to increase the energy efficiency of their homes.

Whilst the energy efficiency of council houses has been improved over recent years through the ongoing Decent Homes programme, there remain a considerable number of homes in the private sector that fall below modern-day standards of heating and insulation.

The council has successfully bid for funding for the period 2008 to 2011 that will enable some of the most needy households in both owner-occupied and privately rented housing to benefit from improved levels of insulation and, in certain circumstances, new heating systems. This is at a time when recent hikes in the cost of fuel and energy is threatening to increase the incidence of fuel poverty; a household is deemed to be living in fuel poverty if more than 10% of its income is spent on heating and other energy costs for activities such as cooking and lighting. The funding is part of a three-year allocation from the (Yorkshire and Humber) Regional Housing Board.

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Cllr Bill Newman, Cabinet Spokesperson for Development, said: "The level of funding to be made available over the next three years reflects the council’s commitment to alleviate fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions, which are a major factor in global warming. Amongst the initiatives to be taken forward is an expansion of the ‘Over 60s’ home insulation scheme and a scheme that will look at a package of measures aimed at improving the energy efficiency of ‘hard to treat’ older terraced properties. Council officers are currently working up the detail attaching to the operation of these schemes in 2008/09 and once this has been completed full details will be publicised."

(CD)