Greens pledge to tackle cost of living crisis at local elections

The Green Party is promising to help tackle the cost of living crisis at the launch of its local election campaign, with promises to deliver locally-led insulation projects.

The party’s co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay are expected to set out how Green Party councillors have been leading projects across the country to insulate peoples’ homes, helping to keep them warm and reduce bills.

As such, Denyer and Ramsay will promise Green Party councillors elected on 5 May will work to emulate those in Green-led Lewes District Council, who are leading the way by working with six other local authorities to retrofit 40,000 council homes, using the collective financial firepower of their housing maintenance accounts - a combined total of £1 billion.

Another example is the Green-led Stroud District Council, which has also set out plans to invest £180 million to retrofit, insulate and decarbonise its five thousand-strong housing stock to ensure warm, sustainable housing for residents.

At the campaign launch at Central Hill housing estate in London, Denyer will say: “In the middle of this cost of living crisis, we know what needs to be done and yet the government is falling so chronically short. On top of that, Labour and Conservative-run councils up and down the country are not listening to what residents want. The Labour council here in Lambeth want to knock down this estate. To displace families and friends from their community.

“As a result they have simply neglected these buildings for a decade. And they are forcing people to live in constant fear of losing their homes, with all the physical and mental trauma that brings. Greens have another plan. Not to discard these homes but to upgrade them. Insulation programmes don’t sound very glamorous but what they can deliver is nothing short of incredible. Imagine - a warm, snug home even on the coldest days. Little to no heating bill at all. A neighbourhood that has almost zero emissions. That’s what Greens are pushing for here alongside residents.”