A housing chief has said she is "proud" millions of pounds will be spent on "energy efficient" homes in Oxford as part of the city authority's Net Zero ambitions.
Councillors at a cabinet meeting yesterday (June 12) evening agreed unanimously to approve an extra £3.4 million funding.
This would be spent on working towards the council's twin goals of having 95 per cent of its council stock possessing an energy performance certificate (EPC) rating of 'C' or above by 2030 and getting to Net Zero carbon emissions as a city by 2040.
The funding is part of an overall budget of of £7.45 million the council will spend on the area of work this year.
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Just over £4 million has already been released as part of a Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund project which attracted Government funding to complement the council’s own investment and which will see "improvements made to 316 city council owned homes".
Labour cabinet member for housing, Linda Smith, said: "I’m proud to be proposing this report to cabinet which reflects the priority this council gives to both improving the homes of our tenants and reducing our carbon footprint.
"Tenants will benefit from warmer homes and reduced energy consumption, and the council will move closer towards its environmental sustainability targets, but we need significant and sustained funding from central government if we are to achieve all we want to in this area.”
The move comes as some have criticised the council for its pursuit of Net Zero targets at what they perceive to be the expense of making it easy to drive around and reach local businesses.
Transport policies are the responsibility of the county council but the city council has its own ethos around travel which would inform decisions.
Speaking at the meeting, Alex Hollingsworth, who has recently been appointed cabinet member for business, culture and an inclusive economy, said: "It's obviously extremely good that we're making this investment and it has the potential to make a huge difference.
"One of the challenges with these kind of technologies (that contribute to energy efficient homes) is the training and education on it."
Mr Hollingsworth said he wanted to ensure there was money in the budget allocated for guidance and support in operating.
Ms Smith said these were "all really good points well made" she was happy to follow up.
Anna Railton, cabinet member for zero carbon, referenced "engagement and monitoring work" being carried out in Rose Hill.
Oxfordshire County Council says its travel policies are "designed to make it easier for people to travel into and around Oxford".
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