Cumbria Climate Conversation
Last month the Northern Housing Consortium was delighted to join colleagues across Cumbria to discuss the just transition to Net Zero and what this looks like for housing. Joining NHC members in the area as well as stakeholders with an interest in housing and climate change, the NHC used the meeting to promote the findings of the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury.
The roundtable was organised by Action with Communities in Cumbria (ACT), a rural and community development charity championing community level responses to the biggest issues of the day. The meeting was hosted as part of the work of the Community Led Housing Hub for Cumbria and Lancaster which provides support and access to technical expertise for groups developing new affordable housing in their areas.
The NHC was joined by other speakers to cover an agenda which looked at housing and decarbonisation issues across neighbourhoods. Attendees discussed support available for privately owned housing, including those in the PRS, to make green homes upgrades; how organisations in the social rented sector were addressing tenants concerns around the retrofit process; and the opportunity provided by community led housing to develop a housing offer for communities both affordable and meeting the highest energy standards.
Fran Richardson, ACT’s Lead Adviser on Housing commented:
“Supporting community led approaches to housing often leads to detailed discussions amongst non-professionals about the challenge of reducing carbon emissions associated with our homes. The Housing Hub has been determined to air and explore some of the tricky areas of development, alongside the motivations of the people involved. Raising the profile of climate change and helping groups and organisations consider what they can do to reduce impact has been an important part of our work.
The work of the Northern Housing consortium with the Social Housing Tenants’ Climate Jury was hugely informative for our conversation, focussing on the work ahead for social housing providers. Putting tenants at the heart of the conversation, rather than considering them an obstacle to be worked around, is both necessary and refreshing.
I was particularly impressed by the ambition and scope of the recommendations made by the Jury. It was clear that they understood the urgency to take action on climate change and some of the options available which would have greatest impact – like higher standards of insulation. The practical approach to managing contractors in your own home and wanting to be sure that the work will be both timely and to a high standard, reflects very real issues, plaguing the retrofit sector. The recommendation that work force development should be a part of the way forward was also testament to their understanding.
It will be important that the recommendations are taken seriously and embedded into the forward planning of the engaged Housing Associations. This is a really progressive approach to engaging social housing tenants in this vital work. What comes through is that they want to see the work done as soon and as well as possible. If we are to meet our decarbonisation targets we need to be learning fast and sharing these Jury results.”
To read more the Action with Communities in Cumbria event Housing and Social Justice: Moving to Net Zero Carbon, click HERE.
More information on the work of ACT can be found HERE.
More information on the Community Led Housing Hub for Cumbria and Lancaster can be found HERE.
