Tim Farron meets with Energy Minister over support for insulating homes in rural Cumbria

This week, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron met with the Minister for Energy Consumers, Miatta Fahnbulleh, to discuss the need for more financial support to insulate homes in Cumbria.

It comes as new research shows that Eden in Cumbria has the least energy-efficient housing in England. 4,319 (17%) of the 24,361 homes here are classed as either an F or G on the rating scale.

Tim and the minister were also joined via video link by Karen Mitchell and Tina Holt from Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS) – Cumbria’s climate change charity.

Currently, older buildings with non-cavity walls are not eligible for government home insulation grants. This is a particular problem in Cumbria, where it’s estimated that 27% of homes were built before 1900, making them colder and far more expensive to insulate.

Speaking after the meeting, Tim said: “I’m really grateful to the minister for her time and to CAfS for their support. 

“Better insulating Cumbria’s homes is absolutely essential in bringing down energy bills, reducing our carbon emissions and obviously making our homes warmer.

“But without financial support, many people living in older properties simply cannot afford the work needed to do this. 

“I’m glad that we secured a promise from the minister to look into this issue.”

Karen Mitchell, CEO at Cumbria Action for Sustainability, said: “At CAfS we have a team of building specialists who understand how to make older buildings fit for the future.

“We are really pleased that the minister is now looking more deeply into how government funding could better support the successful energy saving retrofit of these older homes.”