The Government is supporting a number of schemes to insulate homes and introducing a zero-rate of VAT for five years on measures including insulation and low-carbon heating.

The (£786m) Local Authority Delivery, Home Upgrade Grant (£1.1bn) and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (£1bn), bring the Government’s investment for decarbonising buildings across this parliament to £6.6 billion.

1,586 homes in Manchester, including 77 in Gorton, have signed up under Phases 1 and 2 of the Local Authority Delivery schemes up to February 2022.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority is delivering a project under Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (Wave 1) to treat 1,286 homes.

The Government has made £1.6 billion of public funding available for the remediation of unsafe cladding on high rise residential buildings to make homes safer, quicker. In addition to funding the removal of unsafe cladding, Government is also providing expert technical and pre-tender financial support for successful fund applicants. The Government’s focus on unsafe cladding on high rise residential buildings reflects the exceptional fire risk that certain cladding products pose at that height, and funding will remove the biggest obstacle to remediation proceeding. Government funding should not be the only means of remediating high-rise residential buildings with unsafe cladding and both the Social and Private sector are expected to play a part in ensuring that their buildings are made safe. The remediation of over 50 per cent of privately owned high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding will be paid for by building owners and developers, or through warranty or insurance claims - without passing the cost to residents and leaseholders. We expect building owners and developers to step up in a similar way for other kinds of unsafe cladding.

It is unacceptable for leaseholders to have to worry about the costs of fixing historic safety defects in their buildings that they did not cause. The Government has asked Michael Wade to accelerate work with leaseholders and the financial sector to develop proposals which help to protect leaseholders, whilst also helping to protect the taxpayer, on which will be providing an update.

The most effective way to make buildings with unsafe cladding safe and eliminate the need for interim measures and associated costs is to have the unsafe cladding removed as quickly as possible. That is why we have prioritised £1.6 billion of public subsidy on remediation of unsafe cladding. However, we recognise residents’ concerns about the cost of waking watch measures. The Government has therefore announced a new £30 million fund to pay for the costs of installing an alarm system in buildings with unsafe cladding. Common alarm systems will enable costly waking watch measures to be replaced in buildings waiting to have unsafe cladding removed.

Leaseholders are protected from the cost of removing unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on high rise residential buildings. The remediation of over 50 per cent of privately owned high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding is being paid for by building owners and developers, or through warranty or insurance claims, without passing the cost to residents. The Government has committed to fund the remediation of all unsafe ACM on private sector high rise residential buildings, except where a warranty claim has been accepted.

Where funding alone has not been enough to increase the pace of remediation we have provided direct expert support to projects. We have also appointed construction experts who are reviewing remediation timescales and identifying what can be done to increase pace. Where building owners have failed to act, despite Government support, the Government has supported enforcement action by Fire and Rescue Services and local authorities. From December, those responsible for buildings where remediation is not forecast to start on site by the end of 2020 will be publicly named, and we are clear that works to remove unsafe ACM cladding must be completed by the end of 2021. Information on the progress and pace of ACM remediation and fund allocation is available in the Building Safety Data Release at: www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data

Leaseholders are protected from the cost of removing unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on high rise residential buildings. The remediation of over 50 per cent of privately owned high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding is being paid for by building owners and developers, or through warranty or insurance claims, without passing the cost to residents. The Government has committed to fund the remediation of all unsafe ACM on private sector high rise residential buildings, except where a warranty claim has been accepted.

Where funding alone has not been enough to increase the pace of remediation we have provided direct expert support to projects. We have also appointed construction experts who are reviewing remediation timescales and identifying what can be done to increase pace. Where building owners have failed to act, despite Government support, the Government has supported enforcement action by Fire and Rescue Services and local authorities. From December, those responsible for buildings where remediation is not forecast to start on site by the end of 2020 will be publicly named, and we are clear that works to remove unsafe ACM cladding must be completed by the end of 2021. Information on the progress and pace of ACM remediation and fund allocation is available in the Building Safety Data Release at: www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data

Leaseholders are protected from the cost of removing unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on high rise residential buildings. The remediation of over 50 per cent of privately owned high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding is being paid for by building owners and developers, or through warranty or insurance claims, without passing the cost to residents. The Government has committed to fund the remediation of all unsafe ACM on private sector high rise residential buildings, except where a warranty claim has been accepted.

Where funding alone has not been enough to increase the pace of remediation we have provided direct expert support to projects. We have also appointed construction experts who are reviewing remediation timescales and identifying what can be done to increase pace. Where building owners have failed to act, despite Government support, the Government has supported enforcement action by Fire and Rescue Services and local authorities. From December, those responsible for buildings where remediation is not forecast to start on site by the end of 2020 will be publicly named, and we are clear that works to remove unsafe ACM cladding must be completed by the end of 2021. Information on the progress and pace of ACM remediation and fund allocation is available in the Building Safety Data Release at: www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data

Leaseholders are protected from the cost of removing unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on high rise residential buildings. The remediation of over 50 per cent of privately owned high-rise residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding is being paid for by building owners and developers, or through warranty or insurance claims, without passing the cost to residents. The Government has committed to fund the remediation of all unsafe ACM on private sector high rise residential buildings, except where a warranty claim has been accepted.

Where funding alone has not been enough to increase the pace of remediation we have provided direct expert support to projects. We have also appointed construction experts who are reviewing remediation timescales and identifying what can be done to increase pace. Where building owners have failed to act, despite Government support, the Government has supported enforcement action by Fire and Rescue Services and local authorities. From December, those responsible for buildings where remediation is not forecast to start on site by the end of 2020 will be publicly named, and we are clear that works to remove unsafe ACM cladding must be completed by the end of 2021. Information on the progress and pace of ACM remediation and fund allocation is available in the Building Safety Data Release at: www.gov.uk/guidance/aluminium-composite-material-cladding#acm-remediation-data

The Government is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Department encourages schools to limit their impact on the environment by taking a range of actions including minimising heat loss through improved insulation. The Department has a programme of capital investment in schools and will have spent £22 billion on new and improved school buildings between 2017 and 2021.

The Schools Buying Strategy was created to help schools with procurement to help ensure they get the best value for money. There are a wide range of recommended frameworks and support which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/buying-for-schools. Advice on good estate management, including the Salix loan scheme can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/information-training-and-tools.

Salix Finance Ltd. was established in 2004 as an independent, publicly funded company through which interest-free government funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Education, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government provides the public sector with loans for projects to improve energy, reduce bills and reduce carbon emissions. Schools can access Salix funding through three routes:

1) the Salix Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme for maintained schools.[1]

2) Salix Energy Efficiency Fund for academies administered directly by Salix.[2]

3) through the DfE’s Condition Improvement Fund.[3]

[1] For maintained schools, information is available on gov.uk and promoted by the department at schools’ events and shows.

[2] The department promotes the Salix Energy Efficiency Fund on gov.uk and will notify academies via an email bulletin.

[3] For academies that are eligible to apply to the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), the department alerts them by direct email and also publishes information on Salix in the CIF applicant guidance which we have promoted on gov.uk at:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund.

The Government is committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Department encourages schools to limit their impact on the environment by taking a range of actions including minimising heat loss through improved insulation. The Department has a programme of capital investment in schools and will have spent £22 billion on new and improved school buildings between 2017 and 2021.

The Schools Buying Strategy was created to help schools with procurement to help ensure they get the best value for money. There are a wide range of recommended frameworks and support which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/buying-for-schools. Advice on good estate management, including the Salix loan scheme can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/information-training-and-tools.

Salix Finance Ltd. was established in 2004 as an independent, publicly funded company through which interest-free government funding from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Education, the Welsh Government and the Scottish Government provides the public sector with loans for projects to improve energy, reduce bills and reduce carbon emissions. Schools can access Salix funding through three routes:

1) the Salix Energy Efficiency Loan Scheme for maintained schools.[1]

2) Salix Energy Efficiency Fund for academies administered directly by Salix.[2]

3) through the DfE’s Condition Improvement Fund.[3]

[1] For maintained schools, information is available on gov.uk and promoted by the department at schools’ events and shows.

[2] The department promotes the Salix Energy Efficiency Fund on gov.uk and will notify academies via an email bulletin.

[3] For academies that are eligible to apply to the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF), the department alerts them by direct email and also publishes information on Salix in the CIF applicant guidance which we have promoted on gov.uk at:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/condition-improvement-fund.

The Government will consider the removal of financial restrictions where financial barriers stand in the way of essential work being done. This would include circumstances where local fire services advise essential fire safety works are required to make a building safe. We are working with local authorities who approach us on a case by case basis.