8 9
There is a need to ensure that rural areas receive their fair share when it comes to the building
What needs to be done?
of council homes. Only 13% of housing stock is social housing in rural areas compared with
20% in urban areas
23
, yet there is an acute need for social housing in rural areas. Over the
• Build new houses and create jobs
last 5 years the number of people waiting for affordable homes in country areas has
Investment in a massive programme of new build, high quality, environmentally sustainable
soared by 37%
24
.
social housing, including council homes, would not only meet the policy objective of housing
Housing also represents 27% of the UK’s total carbon emissions
25
– therefore action improving
those on the social housing waiting list but also create thousands of jobs across the country
the energy efficiency of homes is crucial if the Governments’ carbon reduction goals are
in the house building sector of the construction industry. This would help prevent the loss of
going to be achieved. Friends of the Earth and the Oxford University’s Environmental Change
important skills and labour capacity would not be lost. Rural areas should receive their fair
Institute have argued that “housing… may well be one of the easiest – and cheapest –
share of housing.
sectors in which to achieve major [carbon] reductions”
26
. The Local Government Association
• Provide skills and apprenticeship training
(LGA)
27
has called for a national, council-led programme “to provide basic insulation
A local government house building programme could provide local skills training
measures to 10 million homes without cavity wall and full loft insulation”. They estimate
the cost of this ‘retro-fit’ programme is £5 billion and that rolling it out at £500 million
apprenticeships, particularly for those who have recently left education. A recent OECD
a year would create an additional 20,000 jobs.
report found that 14% of 16-24 year olds were ‘Not in Education, Employment or Training’.
The job prospects for this group of the population have significantly worsened with the
Additionally, there are 7 million homes that require solid wall insulation. Action in this area recession. The budget announcements in this area are welcome, but it is important to ensure
could create another 5,000 jobs a year. Heating is the biggest user of energy in the home and routes into quality jobs are provided as soon as possible
31
or their chances of being trapped
therefore this measure would not only reduce people’s carbon footprint but reduce their fuel in unemployment will increase.
bills through lower usage and reduce the levels of fuel poverty in this country – Consumer
Focus has estimated that last winter 5 million people in the UK struggled to heat and power
• Invest in a ‘retro-fit’ programme of existing homes
their homes
28
. The Government has calculated that the average home could save £180 from
As outlined above, such a scheme would go a long way to help the Government meet its
their heating bills through proper insulation
29
. The economist and Government advisor Sir
carbon reduction goals, save people money on their energy bills and create jobs. The energy
Nicolas Stern has argued that “implementing energy efficiency measures for buildings and
efficiency announcements in the 2009 Budget are welcome but much more is required.
industry are among the most effective ways to combine environmental outcomes with a fast
economic stimulus”
30
.
• Preventing repossessions and regulation of the financial sector
Recent moves by the Government to assist people under threat of repossession are welcome
This combination of factors has meant there is a growing political alliance, including Unite,
and need to be built on. The Government is now a major stakeholder in the banking sector -
around investment in a new house building programme and a ‘retro-fit’ scheme as key
it should use its position to promote policies and practices that are in the interests of society.
strategic economic levers the Government can and should use to build economic recovery,
This means ensuring that lenders act with compassion and do not aggressively and hastily
create jobs, meet housing need and prevent homelessness and poverty.
pursue those struggling to repay their mortgages. Keeping people in their home should be
a priority – alternatives to repossession must be explored. Unite also calls for improved
participation by public interest groups, such as trade unions, in the regulation of the financial
sector
32
. This would help forward the interests of society more generally beyond simply
delivering value for shareholders within the sector at the expense of vulnerable customers.
• Support Housing Associations
Steps should be put in place to not only ensure that Housing Associations receive sufficient
funding and support, but also that staff numbers and terms and conditions are maintained
and improved. Unite has published a 2009 Recession Charter for the Not for Profit Sector
which highlights the importance of longer-term funding streams and trade union involvement
in a progressive pay and conditions agenda
33
. Much needed social care and support
provisions are being compromised by commissioning and the constant pressure to cut costs.
23
Fourth Annual Halifax Rural Housing Review, September 2008.
24
National Housing Federation and the Campaign to Protect Rural England, www. Cpre.org.uk/news/view/532
31
Crisis creates threat of new lost generation, The Observer, Sunday 11th January 2009
25
Meeting the Energy Challenge, May 2007, DTI, page 71, http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file39387.pdf
32
Unite Social Contract for Financial Services, 2008, http://www.unitetheunion.com/campaigns/finance_sector_contract.aspx
26
Home Truths: A Low-Carbon Strategy to Reduce UK Housing Emissions by 80% by 2050, Brenda Boardman, University of Oxford’s Environmental Change
33
http://www.unitetheunion.com/PDF/Job%201936%20Recession%20charter%20A4%20v3%20latest.pdf
Institute on behalf of The Co-operative Bank and Friends of the Earth, November 2007, http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/home_truths.pdf
27
Creating Green Jobs, Local Government Association, January 2009
28
Consumerfocus website, http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/en/content/cms/campaigns/end_fuel_poverty/end_fuel_poverty.aspx
29
‘Save money by cutting CO2’, http://campaigns.direct.gov.uk/actonco2/home/features/save-money-by-cutting-co2.html
30
TUC Budget submission 2009, referencing Sir Nicolas Stern et al ‘An outline of the case for a ‘green’ stimulus, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change
and the Environment / Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy’
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