Appendix - North Kesteven District Council

D Strategic Priorities
residents take up the Government’s new Warm Front II grants. It is intended that direct referrals to the managing
agents, EAGA Partnership Ltd will be made in due course. The Council will also consider direct grant assistance
for work where alternative grants to remove people from fuel poverty are not available.
For energy efficiency more generally, partnership working with the Lincolnshire Energy Efficiency Advice Centre
continues to form the focus of the Council’s activity. Consideration of a dedicated Energy Officer will continue,
potentially on a shared basis with a neighbouring authority. The Council is also supporting a private sector
insulation discount scheme, the HEAT Lincolnshire project run by Enact Energy Management with Energy
Efficiency Commitment Scheme funding from London Energy.
The Government, through the Home Energy Conservation Act, has introduced a target of a 30% improvement in
energy efficiency between 1st April 1996 and 31st March 2011. By March 2005 a 20% improvement had been
achieved for the District. This progress has been achieved through:
• Improved publicity including holding regular roadshows;
• By directing private sector renewal grants to heating and insulation initiatives; and
• Through the Council’s investment programme to improve its own stock.
• Partnership working with the Lincolnshire Energy Efficiency Advice Centre.
• By maximizing the take-up of grants and discounts for heating and insulation initiatives.
(Contact Property Services Manager)
Private Sector Improvement
Private sector housing renewal strategy
Following the introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Housing Assistance) Order 2002 the Council adopted a new
strategy in 2003. The six priorities of this strategy remain unchanged:
Provision of mandatory disabled facilities grants;
Dealing with unfit and non decent dwellings;
Helping those on low income improve their homes;
Reducing fuel poverty;
Dealing with empty homes; and
Proactively working with private sector landlords.
The strategy was reviewed in early 2005 and a number of minor amendments made to it. It was felt that because
issues around excess cold and fuel poverty overlap many of the ‘standards’ by which dwellings are to be
assessed, tackling these should form the main focus of the strategy in the future.
This strategy will again be reviewed taking into account the need to achieve decent homes targets in respect of
vulnerable people. The Government has made guaranteed allocations of £53,000 in 2006/7 and £26,000 in 2007/8
to assist in meeting the decent homes target. The Government has also published guidance on bidding for
additional/discretional funding and the Council will be working with other local authorities on developing initiatives
to respond to this agenda which will lead to bid submissions. The initiatives being developed will need to be
reflected in the amended renewal strategy.
It is expected that as the condition of the majority of private sector is good that this investment will still need to
focus on measures relating to thermal comfort which is the biggest area of failure under the standard. The
consultation exercise for this Strategy highlighted concern over the definition of vulnerability. Under the decent
homes initiative this has been defined as anyone in receipt of a means tested and disability benefits and the
Council will need to pursue publicity initiatives as part of its response which will refer to this definition in order to
target assistance.
29 Housing Strategy 2005 - 2008