Agenda item - Greater Brighton Retrofit Taskforce

Report of the Chair, Greater Brighton Officer Programme Board

1)            That the Board notes the research has proven the original concept that Council budgets taken together with Government and Supply Chain collaboration is the optimal way to deliver a medium to long term plan for zero carbon council homes, and that there is a trade-off between carbon, capital spend, and cost to occupier.

2)            That the Board given the context of the cost-of-living crisis agrees that a programme to target fuel costs at the same time as developing the supply chain forms the early part of a programme roll out.

3)            To Board agrees to further develop the zero-carbon business case with a view to submit a joint proposal to Government/BEIS to trial an approach in the Sussex area.

4)            That the Board agrees with the aim to submit a joint bid for grants to trial the collaborative working of the Board. This will lay the foundation and provide the potential for rapid future expansion. The bid will be an aggregated pipeline with individual authority control.

5)            That the Board agrees to explore the best procurement option for delivering the zero-carbon works, and notes that Clear Futures (a joint venture between Lewes and Eastbourne Councils, AECOM and Robertson Construction) could be one such option to consider.

14.1      The Board considered a report of the Chair, Greater Brighton Officer Programme Board that provided the Greater Brighton Economic Board  with a further update and making recommendations to enable City Region housing to reach zero-carbon by 2030.

14.2      The following matters were raised during discussion of the item:

·       That discussions should be held with BEIS and Housing ministers as the projects would deliver savings but would need additional funding

·       That the public sector could lead the way as it had the scale and volume to drive down supply prices

·       That training was required for the sector to deliver and install new technology and this was not currently happening. Both skills and workforce capacity needed significant upscaling

14.3      Resolved-

1)    That the Board notes the research has proven the original concept that Council budgets taken together with Government and Supply Chain collaboration is the optimal way to deliver a medium to long term plan for zero carbon council homes, and that there is a trade-off between carbon, capital spend, and cost to occupier.

2)    That the Board given the context of the cost-of-living crisis agrees that a programme to target fuel costs at the same time as developing the supply chain forms the early part of a programme roll out.

3)    To Board agrees to further develop the zero-carbon business case with a view to submit a joint proposal to Government/BEIS to trial an approach in the Sussex area.

4)    That the Board agrees with the aim to submit a joint bid for grants to trial the collaborative working of the Board. This will lay the foundation and provide the potential for rapid future expansion. The bid will be an aggregated pipeline with individual authority control.

5)    That the Board agrees to explore the best procurement option for delivering the zero-carbon works, and notes that Clear Futures (a joint venture between Lewes and Eastbourne Councils, AECOM and Robertson Construction) could be one such option to consider.