For immediate release: Saturday 18 November 2023
Local organisations and residents took part in the Day of Action for warm homes to demand urgent action to lower energy bills and slash emissions.
People from across Kirklees came together this Friday and Saturday to demand the solutions that will lower energy bills permanently and ensure no one goes cold in winter, as part of a day of action in the fight for warm homes that don’t cost the earth.
Alongside Huddersfield Friends of the Earth , a number of local organisations – including the Welcome Centre, Huddersfield Trades Union Council and Huddersfield Hindu Temple – are adding their support to calls for the rapid roll-out of home insulation across Huddersfield & Kirklees, and an energy system powered by cheap renewables – both of which will slash bills and planet-warming emissions. These are the central demands of the United for Warm Homes campaign launched by Friends of the Earth last year, as well as additional financial support for those struggling most to heat their homes.
As part of the day of action, campaigners undertook a tour of all 4 local MPs’ offices with a striking community patchwork quilt to symbolise the pressing need to deliver on warm homes across Kirklees. The quilt, created by Threads of Survival and Woven in Kirklees, was used as a centrepiece to call on Local MPs to back a council-led, street-by-street insulation programme across the UK. Huddersfield Friends of the Earth already has 750+ signatures already targeting the local MPs and continues to gather signatures at street stalls and events across Kirklees. The group was collecting more petition signatures at the Eco-Fest event held at Skelmanthorpe Methodist Church on Saturday 18 November.
Chayley Collis, Coordinator of Huddersfield Friends of the Earth commented:
“Nearly two years since energy prices first began sky-rocketing, millions of people across the country are headed for yet another difficult winter, as bills remain staggeringly high.
Although we had the innovative Warm Zone insulation scheme in Kirklees about 15 years ago, we now urgently need the national Government to step up to fund additional programmes in our region and across the UK.“
Across the Kirklees district there are estimated to be 111 fuel poverty hotspots , neighbourhoods where incomes are low but energy bills are higher than average – according to analysis by Friends of the Earth. The environmental justice organisation has created an interactive map which identifies fuel poverty hotspots across England and Wales.
At the same time, there are an estimated 118,197 homes with poor insulation locally in the Kirklees area – those with an energy performance rating of D or lower – making them inefficient and expensive to heat. By bringing the worst rated homes up to standard, prioritising action in the areas that need it most, households could save as much as £720 annually on their bills.
Despite being one of the cheapest and quickest ways to make a material difference to the nation’s bills, the government has failed to roll out a much-needed street-by-street insulation programme. Nor has it fully unlocked the potential of cheap, clean homegrown renewable power. Both of these measures would boost our energy security, end our reliance on costly gas, help to pull millions out of hardship and cut the UK’s emissions.
That’s why Huddersfield Friends of the Earth is bringing the fight for warm homes to the Kirklees area, to put an end to the cycle of spiralling energy costs and winters of hardship.
Louise Barker at Huddersfield Friends of the Earth, said:
“Nearly two years down the road, we’re still no closer to addressing the root causes of our sky-high bills – our heat-leaking homes and reliance on costly gas. This is a travesty for those who have already come through one incredibly difficult winter, and are facing down another.
“Everyone deserves to live in a warm, comfortable home and have their basic needs met. That’s why we must see the rapid roll out of a street-by-street insulation programme to bring down bills for once and for all. So many others support these vital measures, as we’ve demonstrated through our growing local petition to MPs and today’s tour of our local MPs today. We’re pleased that Barry Sheerman MP already has already got behind our cause and it was great to meet Kim Leadbeater MP to discuss the campaign. ”
Kiran Bali MBE of the Hindu Society of Kirklees & Calderdale added:
“Insulating homes and using cheaper greener renewable energy offers long-term solutions to the energy bill crisis while also helping to tackle the climate emergency. We support the United for Warm Homes campaign and call on all political parties to get behind its asks. “
NOTES
1. Full briefings about the need for warm homes in Kirklees are available here
Huddersfield
2. View Friends of the Earth’s interactive map identifying fuel poverty hotspots across England and Wales.
3. Petition targeting local Kirklees MPs: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/ask-our-mps-to-take-action-for-warm-homes/
4. About Huddersfield Friends of the Earth
Huddersfield Friends of the Earth campaigns for climate justice at a local and national level and covers Kirklees (Huddersfield, Batley & Spen, Colne Valley & Dewsbury constituencies).
5. United for Warm Homes is a growing grassroots movement, powered by Friends of the Earth, to secure the national change that guarantees everyone benefits from a warm home that doesn’t cost the earth. Neighbourhood by neighbourhood, people are coming together to support each through the cost-of-living crisis and build a diverse coalition of community groups that is too powerful to ignore.
Huddersfield Friends of the Earth 