The Warm Homes Plan: Why local leadership and early planning matters 

The UK Government’s Warm Homes Plan, published last week, represents a significant moment in accelerating the action needed to make homes warmer, healthier and more affordable to run.  

Backed by £15 billion of investment, the Plan aims to improve and upgrade 5 million homes by 2030. Crucially, it is explicit that success will depend on local leadership, with local authorities, combined authorities and mayors playing a central role alongside the new Warm Homes Agency (WHA).

While national Government will continue to set funding frameworks, standards and oversight, delivery at scale will be place-based and locally led.

The central role of local authorities

The Plan positions local and combined authorities at the heart of delivery. Their role will include:

• Strategic, area-based coordination informed by detailed knowledge of local housing stock 

• Acting as heat network zone coordinator bodies in certain areas 

• Aligning retrofit delivery with Local Area Energy Plans, Regional Energy Strategic Plans, and DNO engagement 

• Leading neighbourhood-scale and street-by-street retrofit schemes 

• Supporting the development of local skills, training and supply chains 

• Helping to attract and structure private finance to complement public funding 

Local authorities that plan early and lead locally will be best placed to unlock funding, deliver health and wellbeing benefits, and stimulate local economic growth. Those that do not, risk losing influence over how retrofit is delivered in their area.

How Local Partnerships can help

At Local Partnerships, we have been working with local authorities and devolved government for many years to support action on housing retrofit and energy efficiency. 

We help councils move from ambition to delivery by:

• building a robust understanding of local housing stock and retrofit opportunity 

• identifying funding routes and supporting access to finance 

• strengthening local supply chains and delivery capacity 

• supporting skills and training development 

• translating UK-wide learning and best practice into locally tailored solutions 

• co-designing interventions with councils and their local stakeholders to ensure impact 

Our Domestic Retrofit Handbook, which is freely available, provides practical guidance to support councils at every stage of their retrofit journey.

Start the conversation 

If you’d like to discuss your council’s ambitions, delivery needs or emerging ideas under the Warm Homes Plan, we’d be happy to have an initial conversation about how Local Partnerships can support you. 

Contact us at: paul.bourgeois@localpartnerships.gov.uk