£7m grant to tackle fuel poverty

Stoke-on-Trent City Council will receive a grant of up to £7m as part of the government's Warm Homes scheme

Funding is set to become available to help people facing fuel poverty.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council will receive a grant of up to £7m from the government to help pay for energy efficiency improvements for homeowners and private tenants who find themselves struggling to heat their homes.

The improvements include installing wall and loft insulation, solar panelling and heating systems which will make homes warmer and reduce energy bills.

The authority said latest figures showed 24.7% of households in the city faced fuel poverty, compared to the national average of 13.1%.

"Everybody deserves the right to live in a safe and warm home and we are already making significant improvements to council-owned homes to ensure this is the case for all our residents, councillor Chris Robinson said.

The improvements, which would most likely be implemented from June, are expected to reduce energy bills, raise housing standards and reduce carbon emissions.

The city council's cabinet is set to agree to accept the funding from the government's Warm Homes scheme at a meeting on 25 February.

The authority will then find out exactly how much it has been awarded from government before releasing information on how to apply for funding.