North Wales MS and Chair of the Senedd Cross-Party Group on Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency, Mark Isherwood, has called on the Welsh Government to learn from and build on a domestic energy project being delivered in two North Wales Counties.
In a question to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans MS, in today’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood spoke about the way in which Flintshire's Domestic Energy Efficiency Team, working in partnership with Denbighshire County Council, is delivering advice, information and help to residents with specific emphasis on alleviating fuel poverty.
He said:
“Speaking at the November 2023 meeting of the Cross-Party Group on Fuel Poverty and Energy Efficiency, Flintshire's Domestic Energy Team, now a Council service but originally a partnership with the North Wales Energy Advice Centre in Mold, a charity, stated: 'A member of the team runs the ECO Flex scheme for us in partnership with Denbighshire Council. It is useful to get a few Councils together to run it for you. It is then possible to monitor the scheme and put the customer first. We're also bringing together an area base, bringing in owner-occupiers and private renters to try and combat issues in the wider area. This is a project that is working very well. This goes back to what Local Authorities are and can do, maximising the scheme. We will take this back to our Cabinet Member meetings with the Welsh Local Government Association to share this good practice’.
“Learning from this, what action, if any, will you therefore take to introduce a cross-sector ‘Energy Efficient Wales’ programme for fuel-poor households on a regional basis across Wales?”
Responding, the Cabinet Secretary, thanked Mr Isherwood for the example of a project that is working well and said “it certainly sounds like something that should be built on”.
She added:
“I think that what makes that project so successful is the collaborative working across boundaries that is taking place. It really demonstrates as well the importance of good energy advice.”