Ruth Cadbury MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
4 October 2021
Dear Rt Hon Rishi Sunak,
I’m writing to you on behalf of the large number of constituents who have contacted me ahead of the COP26 conference about the important role that the Treasury needs to play in our efforts to reach Net Zero and tackle the climate crisis.
I’ve been contacted by over 180 constituents who have written to me about the need for urgent action on the issue of climate emissions from homes across the UK. Recent research by Greenpeace found that 14% of the UK’s climate emissions are caused directly by our homes. Likewise, I was deeply concerned that the Climate Change Committee 2021 progress report to Parliament found that ‘‘there has been little of the necessary progress in upgrading the building stock.’’
As you know there are a wide number of actions that the Government can take and support; from the installation of heat pumps, to retrofitting additional insulation or improving access for electric car charging availability. Grants to enable these adaptations initially will of course bring down the prices from their current high levels. I was pleased that Hounslow Council not only declared a climate emergency in 2019 but have also taken action to ensure that new council homes are fitted with the latest heat pump technologies, rather than older gas boilers.
I understand that the Government is due to publish a heat and building strategy shortly, it is vital that the Government act with the upmost urgency on this issue.
The recent IPCC report, and the continued extreme weather we’ve seen across the world shows the urgent need for action. With the UK hosting COP26 in Glasgow this year I very much hope that the Government take the decisive action needed on this specific area of the climate crisis.
Yours sincerely
