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The Greens in London have pledged to bring in their flagship policy of providing freeinsulation to every London home through their influence on the London Assembly.
The scheme – which is already working in Kirklees in Yorkshire thanks to Green Councillors – has an excellent chance of becoming a reality for Londoners after the election.
Even if Siân Berry is not elected Mayor she intends to deliver the policy through the Green budget negotiations with the Mayor.
The scheme forms the centerpiece of Siân’s “Green, affordable London” campaign, and has been chosen as her key policy both for itseffectiveness, and for the high likelihood that she will be able to carry it out if, as expected, she wins an Assembly seat next week.
The present Mayor has needed the votes of the two Green AMs to pass his last four annual budgets, allowing them to make changes to GLAspending, such as providing insulation free to Londoners on certain benefits. Siân is aiming to be elected as the fourth Green AM, andwill use her power over the budget to demand universal free insulation.
The policy is a relatively easy one for a non-Green Mayor to accept, as it will be paid for largely from the energy efficiencycontributions that power companies must make by law, rather than from public funds.
Green councillors led by Andrew Cooper on Kirklees Council in Yorkshire have already shown the policy is workable, using ScottishPower money to insulate at least 30,000 homes over 3 years. So successful is this project that David Cameron sought to take creditfor it last week by launching his “Vote Blue, Go Green” local election campaign in Kirklees.
Siân said:
“Londoners have an opportunity on 1 May to insulate themselves from the cold and the cost by voting for my plan to insulate every homethat needs it for free.
“There’s no excuse in a 21st century city for having widespread fuel poverty, with people having to pay huge chunks of their income justtrying to keep warm. There’s no excuse for winter deaths of elderly Londoners who could have been saved by something as simple as loftinsulation. And there’s no excuse for government failure to cut CO2 emissions, or for their willingness to blame ordinary people instead of their own inaction.
“Under our plans, every single home in London that needs insulation will be able to get it, free of charge. This will slash fuel bills, making London living more affordable and healthier. We’ll also put a real dent in our carbon footprint.
“This policy has so many benefits, it’s hard to see why it’s not already happening. It saves people money on their bills, reducescarbon emissions and creates good jobs. By following the lead of Green Councillors in Kirklees, we could have this scheme up and running for London very quickly. And as Green Assembly Members we will work to make sure it happens.”
The Green AMs have also secured funding to pilot detailed help with paperwork for householders in Lewisham who wish to insulate their homes and generate their own power; Greens would extend this service city-wide, and make low-cost loans available to pay for small-scale renewable energy generation on homes and businesses.