Cold war: London experts gathered to address leaky homes
Zack Polanski, a Green Party London Assembly Member, passed a motion calling on London’s Mayor to prioritise training workers with the skills to upgrade homes across the capital city.
Every winter, the number of people whose health drastically deteriorates due to living in a cold and damp home grows greater. However. earlier this month, charity End Fuel Poverty, warned that this issue has gotten out of hand as a result of the current cost-of-living crisis – people’s energy bills are so high they can’t afford to turn on their heating.
Research from the charity has found that as many as 8.2 million adults in the UK are living in cold or damp homes, which can cause respiratory conditions, cardiovascular diseases, poor mental health, dementia, and hypothermia.
In a bid to protect individuals living in London, Zack Polanski has recently proposed and passed a motion with unanimous support that will help inform workers on how homes need to be developed to ensure people’s safety.
In addition, the motion also asks the Mayor, Sadiq Khan, to explore all potential sources of income that could be put toward repairs, including a call for the Government to provide ongoing, unrestricted funding.
‘Retrofitting is a triple win: it creates good green jobs, lowers emissions, and reduces bills,’ Zack said. ‘For years, I have challenged the Mayor on our failure to train Londoners to insulate our own homes.’
Zack added: ‘I’m delighted that the assembly passed my motion unanimously – but now we need action from the Mayor. I look forward to seeing a real funding commitment from the Mayor to tackle the climate and economic crisis in our city.’
The full text of the motion proposed by Zack Polanski AM can be found here.
Image: Gleren Meneghin
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