Climate committee to discuss action to help people and businesses through tough economic times

29 September 2022

Action being taken by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to help people and businesses with the cost-of-living crisis will be discussed at the next Climate, Energy and Environment committee meeting. 

A report prepared ahead of the committee sets out how West Yorkshire will be hit harder than other parts of the UK by the rise in energy prices – despite recent intervention by the government. Homes in West Yorkshire are typically less energy efficient than the national average and it is estimated that 30% of the region’s households will be in fuel poverty by October 2022 even with the energy price cap. Earlier this year, the Combined Authority secured money from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to install energy saving measures such as external wall insulation and double glazing in more than 1,300 rented homes.  

In September, the Mayor’s Fares were launched to help people with the cost of travel by capping single bus fares to £2 and daily MCard travel tickets to £4.50. And through the ReBiz programme, 274 businesses in West Yorkshire have been supported with advice and grants to help increase their energy efficiency and reduce waste.  

Mark Roberts, Deputy Chair of the Climate, Energy and Environment Committee and Interim Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, said:

“In West Yorkshire, there is a huge programme of work underway to help people and businesses through one of the toughest economic crises many of us have witnessed.  

“We are working with social housing providers to invest £10.3 million to help improve the energy efficiency of more than 1,300 homes and we’re working with businesses in our region to finalise a new package of measures to help bring down energy bills and increase sustainability.  

“But it is clear that this won’t be enough to help everyone – and that is why we need to accelerate our action to tackle the climate emergency and work with the Government to give us the extra funding and powers needed to deliver long-lasting benefits sooner rather than later.”