Housing Service and climate change

As a service, our commitment to helping tackle climate change will be embedded in everything we do. The housing service's Offer on climate change sets out our commitments to ensure we can fulfil our aim in respecting and protecting the environment.

The Housing Service's Climate Change Offer

Tenants and residents - We will:

• Engage with tenants and residents to provide information for them to gain a greater understanding of climate change, to help encourage positive behaviour change.
• Provide support and assistance to our tenants and residents to help influence their behaviour and individual choices, with the aim of reducing fuel poverty and minimising the climate impact.
• Support our local communities through environmental initiatives and projects to improve neighbourhoods.

Council properties - We will:

• Undertake a detailed assessment of all our council homes to ensure that our tenants and residents can live in warm, dry, energy efficient and low carbon homes which they can afford to heat.
• Ensure our new build housing meets the relevant housing standards and energy efficiency requirements.
• Aim to ensure that through our capital programme, energy efficiency options are prioritised when replacing windows, doors and heating systems to help us achieve our aim of low carbon homes.
• Ensure our plans for new housing and improvement works includes renewable energy products and the use of smart technology.

Our staff - We will:

• Provide staff with the information, skills and training to gain a greater understanding of climate change.
• Engage with staff to encourage positive behaviour change to reduce climate impact through influencing individual choices - colleagues, tenants and residents.
• Ensure our staff embed this awareness and training within their role, and how they support and work with tenants and local communities.

Working with our community partners - We will:

• Work proactively with a variety of teams and services to help our staff, tenants and residents access the appropriate support, guidance and funding.
• Work with Private Landlords to help improve housing conditions and energy efficiency measures within the private sector.
• Ensure when tendering for projects or working with external contractors our commitment towards respecting and protecting the environment is included within our agreements.
• Deliver on the actions set out within the Council's Climate Emergency Action Plan.