(DECC) New improved Warm Front Scheme

Better service and bigger grants will help thousands of people save money and keep warm

The Department of Energy and Climate Change's Warm Front Scheme has been changed to improve the quality of service for its customers. Warm Front provides grants for people on qualifying disability or income related benefits to install insulation or energy efficient heating in their homes.

Following a review of the contract with eaga, the Warm Front Scheme Manager, a number of alterations have been agreed which will open the Scheme up to greater competition to provide best value for money. Households connected to the gas grid are now eligible for grants of up to £3500, up from £2700, while those in areas off the gas grid can apply for funding up to £6000, an increase of £2000.

Energy and Climate Change Minister Joan Ruddock said:

"Warm Front has helped nearly two million households since it was introduced, making homes warmer and more energy efficient providing savings of up to £300 a year on energy bills.

"The Scheme has worked well, but rising costs of installing heating and insulation measures often resulted in grant levels being exceeded. We could not allow the very poorest to be unable to proceed because they couldn't contribute to the cost.

"We've listened, and we've acted. These increases will take effect immediately, benefitting all new customers, and will also apply to Warm Front clients who have received approval for funding but are still waiting for the work to start. This means more people will be able to go ahead with improvements to their home without having to worry about funding it themselves."

Funding to the Warm Front Scheme has been increased by £174 million since September 2008, bringing total funding to £959 million for the three years to April 2011.

The Scheme is also being expanded to include the installation of low-carbon heat and power technologies such as solar thermal heating and air source heat pumps, which will help householders generate their own low-cost, renewable energy. These technologies will initially be trialled in small-scale pilot programmes.

Energy minister "sabotaged" fuel poverty bill, says Green candidate who plans to take her seat

Leading Greens today criticised a Labour energy minister for destroying the chances that a fuel poverty bill would become law.

The Fuel Poverty Bill was backed by campaigning groups including Age Concern, Help the Aged and Child Poverty Action Group and would have introduced:

* A major energy efficiency programme to bring existing homes up to the energy efficiency standards of modern houses, cutting fuel poverty

* 'Social tariffs' to protect vulnerable people like pensioners from high energy bills

Joan Ruddock, MP for Lewisham Deptford, led the debate for the government in her role as an energy minister.

Despite cross-party support for the bill, it ran out of time because Labour decided to 'talk out' the bill, delaying a vote on it until there was no time left in the House of Commons. Ms Ruddock was still speaking after a four-hour debate when the time ran out, killing the bill's chances.

The Green Party of England and Wales, which was holding its national spring conference at the time, rushed out an emergency motion on Monday criticising Ms Ruddock for her tactics.

Lewisham Green Party leader, Cllr Darren Johnson, the party's trade and industry spoekesperson who aims to topple Ms Ruddock and become Lewisham Deptford's first Green MP at the next general election, said:

"Instead of allowing an honest vote by MPs, Joan Ruddock chose underhand tactics to avoid a democratic decision on these important proposals. This sabotage, and her earlier support for Heathrow expansion, is making a mockery of her job as energy and climate change minister."

Lewisham Green Party councillor Sue Luxton, who proposed the emergency motion at the party's conference, said:

"This bill would have protected millions from the terrible choice between heating and eating, which too many pensioners and other vulnerable people have to make. Many will feel let down by the underhand way in which it was defeated."

(DEFRA) Third Sector Taskforce on climate change and environment launched

A new taskforce launched today will help the government and the not-for-profit sector to tackle climate change and environmental issues.

The group will be jointly chaired by Defra, Department of Energy and Climate Change and Cabinet Office ministers and third sector representatives and aims to identify specific actions that Government and the third sector can take together to tackle climate change, environmental problems and sustainable development more broadly. The Department for Communities and Local Government will also be represented on the taskforce. Third sector co-chairs will be nominated at the first meeting.

The taskforce was announced as part of Defra's Third Sector Strategy in November 2008. It is a unique opportunity for third sector leaders to come together to develop an action plan to raise the awareness and profile of climate change in the sector and to influence third sector and government action. The partnership will seek to increase the volume of activity in the sector on climate change, sustainability and environmental issues and will use the third sector network and contacts with communities to raise awareness and encourage action - such as helping people to be more energy efficient in their homes, creating low carbon neighbourhoods or towns or encouraging participation in environmental volunteering programmes. It will also look at how Government and the third sector can do more to connect with specific sectors of the community and how Government can best support the work of third sector organisations on these issues.

A diverse membership representing the full spectrum of third sector organisations - from all interest areas, not just the environment, and of all sizes - is crucial to the success of the taskforce. Applications for membership of the taskforce are now invited from third sector organisations. Specialist contributors will also be invited to participate on an ad hoc basis as required. The recruitment process is being coordinated by Green Alliance and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) who will provide the secretariat for the taskforce.

Defra minister Huw Irranca-Davies said:

"The taskforce will play a key role in helping us to reach communities through a medium that is easily accessible and that they trust. The third sector has unique access to a vast range of people and is ideally situated to help Government educate people about climate change and environmental matters."

DECC Minister Joan Ruddock said:

"Climate change is the most important challenge facing our society. Unchecked, it will have major impacts on individuals and communities, and on the interests of third sector organisations. We can tackle it, but only if all parts of society are mobilised to act. This new task force is part of making that happen."

Kevin Brennan, Minister for the Third Sector, said:

"The third sector has proven time after time its ability to engage with communities in a way that governments simply can't. It is vital to solving some of the biggest problems this country faces, and I look forward to seeing the taskforce's ideas on how we can tackle climate change together."

Stephen Hale, Green Alliance director, said:

"I warmly welcome the creation of this taskforce. There is already a wide array of creative and effective initiatives within the third sector on climate change and other pressing challenges. But we need a dramatic surge in the scale and impact of this activity to secure the action we need to avert catastrophic climate change and secure our futures."

Stuart Etherington, NCVO CEO, said: "The formation of this Task Force presents a real opportunity for organisations from across the sector to come together to harness our potential to tackle climate change and build sustainability."