Regional climate coalitions gather pace
Regional climate coalitions in Yorkshire & Humber and the North East have gathered pace this month. The North’s housing sector is playing an important role in both coalitions.
On 17th March, the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Comission held a well-attended launch event, which is available to watch again on YouTube. The Commission is an independent advisory body set up to bring actors from the public, private and third sectors together to support and guide ambitious climate actions across the region. It is part of the Place-Based Climate Action Network.
Martyn Broadest, Executive Director at NHC member Connect Housing Association, is one of the Commissioners, joining commissioners from across the public, private and voluntary sectors. The opportunities around housing retrofit were raised several times at the launch event, including by Sheffield City-Region Mayor Dan Jarvis. You can read Martyn’s blog about the first meeting of the Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission on the Connect Housing website.
In the North East, the NHC is facilitating the housing retrofit workstream of the North East England Climate Coalition. NEECCo is a cross-sector initiative bringing the region together to tackle climate emergency, reverse ecological collapse and deliver and urgent and just transition – with the aim of the North East becoming England’s Greenest Region. It has the support of LEPs, Universities, the Chamber of Commerce, voluntary sector and leading businesses in the region.
The housing retrofit workstream has met three times and is overseen by a high-level group chaired by NHC Chair Paul Fiddaman. The group have agreed a Statement of Intent aiming to ensure all the region’s homes reach EPC C by 2030. Work is now underway to implement the group’s emerging Delivery Plan. A parallel group led by Constructing Excellence North East is looking at new-build development of all types and close links are being formed between the two workstreams.
NEECCo will launch officially in the coming weeks, and NHC members in the North East can expect to hear lots more about the Coalition in the run-up to the COP Summit in Glasgow later this year. For information on the NEECCo retrofit work being supported by the NHC, contact Anna Seddon – anna.seddon@northern-consortium.org.uk
