Our 100 Day Letter to the Prime Minister

Dear Prime Minster

Your Government came into office 100 days ago making encouraging noises on energy, net zero, housebuilding and planning.

We welcome the progress that’s already been made: increased funding for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme; announcing a 2030 target for landlords to upgrade the energy efficiency of rental properties; and placing planning reform front and centre.

Whilst many of us are happy to celebrate steps in the right direction, I’m sure you’ll agree the Government can’t afford to take its foot off the accelerator.

The energy price cap has just increased again. The cost-of-living and energy crises persist. People are looking ahead, worriedly, to a cold, damp winter.

While I’m hopeful your Government will continue to push ahead on its mission to build 1.5m new homes in the next five years, I urge you and your ministers to also look beyond the ‘new’ and make sure the homes we already have can be fit for the future. The UK has the oldest and least energy-efficient homes in Europe; people are in critical need of support to retrofit and renovate these existing properties. That can only come through Public Policy reform, and Private Capital flow, and I am eagerly awaiting the outcomes of your investment summit.

Overhauling the country’s built environment is more than just housebuilding. It’s placemaking – creating thriving communities and all the benefits that flow from them. You need only look at our Members’ innovative projects over the four decades of Ecology’s existence to understand what sustainable developments can and should look like.

As we approach your Chancellor’s budget, I hope to see Public Policy support greater investment to help people decarbonise and boost the energy efficiency of their homes, expanding proven and working initiatives like the Great British Insulation Scheme. I also encourage you to consider building on the FCA’s work against greenwashing in financial services. This will help to ensure people can have confidence they’re making authentically greener choices.

As I did 100 days ago, today I extend an offer of support. Working together with the Government and our professional networks, we can help unleash genuinely green finance at scale.

I look forward to hearing from your office.

Gareth Griffiths
CEO, Ecology Building Society