Vouchers of up to £5,000 for home insulation - BBC News

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners will receive vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy-saving home improvements, the chancellor will announce.

Rishi Sunak is due to set out a £2bn grant scheme in England for projects such as insulation as part of a wider £3bn plan to cut carbon emissions.

The Treasury said the grants could help to support more than 100,000 jobs.

Labour said renters appeared to be left out and called for a "broader and bigger" plan to cut carbon emissions.

Under the Green Homes Grant, the government will pay at least two-thirds of the cost of home improvements that save energy, the Treasury said.

For example, a homeowner of a semi-detached or end-of-terrace house could install cavity wall and floor insulation for about £4,000 - the homeowner would pay £1,320 while the government would contribute £2,680.

The government said about half of the fund - which is due to be spent in one financial year - will go to the poorest homeowners, who will not have to contribute anything to the cost. Better insulation could save some people £600 a year on energy bills, the Treasury said.

Mr Sunak said the investment would also help to "kick-start our economy" by creating thousands of jobs and providing business for existing skilled workers, as the UK recovers from the economic shock of coronavirus.

"As Britain recovers from the outbreak, it's vital we do everything in our power to support and protect livelihoods across the nation," he said.

'The jobs factor swayed the day'

Insulation gives a triple benefit. It saves on bills, cuts carbon emissions from heating, and - crucially as the UK's economy creaks - it creates thousands of jobs for tradespeople crawling in attics and fiddling with draught proofing.

England can't reach its climate targets without a major housing refit, but until now the Treasury has been reluctant to help - because it means transferring cash from the public purse to private bricks and mortar.

Now the jobs factor has swayed the day and some campaigners are delighted - the £2bn figure is more than they expected.

Labour approves of the investment, but says it does little to help people in cold, rented homes.

It warns the programme must be carried on year after year to keep the jobs and increase the emissions savings.

The scheme will launch in September with online applications for recommended energy efficiency measures, along with details of accredited local suppliers.

Once one of these suppliers has provided a quote and the work is approved, the voucher is issued.

The grants are part of a wider £3bn "green investment" package due to be announced in the chancellor's summer statement on Wednesday, to support efforts to rebuild the economy after the pandemic.

The plan aims to create tens of thousands of new jobs while helping the UK meet its 2050 target of achieving net zero carbon emissions.

It will involve improving insulation in public buildings such as schools and hospitals and retro-fitting low-carbon heating technology to social housing.

The Conservative manifesto had pledged £9.2bn for improving the energy efficiency of low income housing and public buildings.

Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband welcomed the plan but stressed that it was not "comprehensive".

"It appears there is almost nothing for the people who rent the 8.5 million homes in the social rented sector and private rented sector, which has the worst energy efficiency standards. That means one-third of people are left out," he said.

Mr Miliband said the government needed "a much broader and bigger-scale strategy" to meet its target to reduce carbon emissions to net zero, including investing in nature conservation, increasing renewable energy, supporting manufacturers to be greener and improving transport.

Rosie Rogers, senior political advisor at Greenpeace UK, said the UK "isn't playing in the same league" as other countries, such as Germany, which is investing €40bn (£36bn) in green jobs and energy efficiency, or France, which pledged €15bn to tackle the climate crisis in June.

"Of course, this money is better than nothing, but it doesn't measure up to the economic and environmental crises. It's not enough to create the hundreds of thousands of new green jobs that are needed," she said.

"It's not enough to insulate all of the homes and buildings that need to be kept warm and more energy efficient.

"It's not enough to 'build back greener', and it's certainly not enough to put us on track to tackle the catastrophic impacts of the climate emergency."

• COVID-19 TESTING: Has it gone wrong?
• CORONAVIRUS NEWSCAST: The true impact of Covid-19 on travelling abroad

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2020-07-07 01:51:51Z
52780898176939

Vouchers of up to £5,000 for home insulation - BBC News

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners will receive vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy-saving home improvements, the chancellor will announce.

Rishi Sunak is due to set out a £2bn grant scheme in England for projects such as insulation as part of a wider £3bn plan to cut carbon emissions.

The Treasury said the grants could help to support more than 100,000 jobs.

Labour said renters appeared to be left out and called for a "broader and bigger" plan to cut carbon emissions.

Under the Green Homes Grant, the government will pay at least two-thirds of the cost of home improvements that save energy, the Treasury said.

For example, a homeowner of a semi-detached or end-of-terrace house could install cavity wall and floor insulation for about £4,000 - the homeowner would pay £1,320 while the government would contribute £2,680.

The government said about half of the fund - which is due to be spent in one financial year - will go to the poorest homeowners, who will not have to contribute anything to the cost. Better insulation could save some people £600 a year on energy bills, the Treasury said.

Mr Sunak said the investment would also help to "kick-start our economy" by creating thousands of jobs and providing business for existing skilled workers, as the UK recovers from the economic shock of coronavirus.

"As Britain recovers from the outbreak, it's vital we do everything in our power to support and protect livelihoods across the nation," he said.

'The jobs factor swayed the day'

Insulation gives a triple benefit. It saves on bills, cuts carbon emissions from heating, and - crucially as the UK's economy creaks - it creates thousands of jobs for tradespeople crawling in attics and fiddling with draught proofing.

England can't reach its climate targets without a major housing refit, but until now the Treasury has been reluctant to help - because it means transferring cash from the public purse to private bricks and mortar.

Now the jobs factor has swayed the day and some campaigners are delighted - the £2bn figure is more than they expected.

Labour approves of the investment, but says it does little to help people in cold, rented homes.

It warns the programme must be carried on year after year to keep the jobs and increase the emissions savings.

The scheme will launch in September with online applications for recommended energy efficiency measures, along with details of accredited local suppliers.

Once one of these suppliers has provided a quote and the work is approved, the voucher is issued.

The grants are part of a wider £3bn "green investment" package due to be announced in the chancellor's summer statement on Wednesday, to support efforts to rebuild the economy after the pandemic.

The plan aims to create tens of thousands of new jobs while helping the UK meet its 2050 target of achieving net zero carbon emissions.

It will involve improving insulation in public buildings such as schools and hospitals and retro-fitting low-carbon heating technology to social housing.

The Conservative manifesto had pledged £9.2bn for improving the energy efficiency of low income housing and public buildings.

Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband welcomed the plan but stressed that it was not "comprehensive".

"It appears there is almost nothing for the people who rent the 8.5 million homes in the social rented sector and private rented sector, which has the worst energy efficiency standards. That means one-third of people are left out," he said.

Mr Miliband said the government needed "a much broader and bigger-scale strategy" to meet its target to reduce carbon emissions to net zero, including investing in nature conservation, increasing renewable energy, supporting manufacturers to be greener and improving transport.

Rosie Rogers, senior political advisor at Greenpeace UK, said the UK "isn't playing in the same league" as other countries, such as Germany, which is investing €40bn (£36bn) in green jobs and energy efficiency, or France, which pledged €15bn to tackle the climate crisis in June.

"Of course, this money is better than nothing, but it doesn't measure up to the economic and environmental crises. It's not enough to create the hundreds of thousands of new green jobs that are needed," she said.

"It's not enough to insulate all of the homes and buildings that need to be kept warm and more energy efficient.

"It's not enough to 'build back greener', and it's certainly not enough to put us on track to tackle the catastrophic impacts of the climate emergency."

• COVID-19 TESTING: Has it gone wrong?
• CORONAVIRUS NEWSCAST: The true impact of Covid-19 on travelling abroad

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2020-07-07 00:56:24Z
52780898176939

Vouchers of up to £5,000 for home insulation - BBC News

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners will receive vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy-saving home improvements, the chancellor will announce.

Rishi Sunak is due to set out a £2bn grant scheme in England for projects such as insulation as part of a wider £3bn plan to cut carbon emissions.

The Treasury said the grants could help to support more than 100,000 jobs.

Labour said renters appeared to be left out and called for a "broader and bigger" plan to cut carbon emissions.

Under the Green Homes Grant, the government will pay at least two-thirds of the cost of home improvements that save energy, the Treasury said.

For example, a homeowner of a semi-detached or end-of-terrace house could install cavity wall and floor insulation for about £4,000 - the homeowner would pay £1,320 while the government would contribute £2,680.

The government said about half of the fund - which is due to be spent in one financial year - will go to the poorest homeowners, who will not have to contribute anything to the cost. Better insulation could save some people £600 a year on energy bills, the Treasury said.

Mr Sunak said the investment would also help to "kick-start our economy" by creating thousands of jobs and providing business for existing skilled workers, as the UK recovers from the economic shock of coronavirus.

"As Britain recovers from the outbreak, it's vital we do everything in our power to support and protect livelihoods across the nation," he said.

'The jobs factor swayed the day'

Insulation gives a triple benefit. It saves on bills, cuts carbon emissions from heating, and - crucially as the UK's economy creaks - it creates thousands of jobs for tradespeople crawling in attics and fiddling with draught proofing.

England can't reach its climate targets without a major housing refit, but until now the Treasury has been reluctant to help - because it means transferring cash from the public purse to private bricks and mortar.

Now the jobs factor has swayed the day and some campaigners are delighted - the £2bn figure is more than they expected.

Labour approves of the investment, but says it does little to help people in cold, rented homes.

It warns the programme must be carried on year after year to keep the jobs and increase the emissions savings.

The scheme will launch in September with online applications for recommended energy efficiency measures, along with details of accredited local suppliers.

Once one of these suppliers has provided a quote and the work is approved, the voucher is issued.

The grants are part of a wider £3bn "green investment" package due to be announced in the chancellor's summer statement on Wednesday, to support efforts to rebuild the economy after the pandemic.

The plan aims to create tens of thousands of new jobs while helping the UK meet its 2050 target of achieving net zero carbon emissions.

It will involve improving insulation in public buildings such as schools and hospitals and retro-fitting low-carbon heating technology to social housing.

The Conservative manifesto had pledged £9.2bn for improving the energy efficiency of low income housing and public buildings.

Shadow business secretary Ed Miliband welcomed the plan but stressed that it was not "comprehensive".

"It appears there is almost nothing for the people who rent the 8.5 million homes in the social rented sector and private rented sector, which has the worst energy efficiency standards. That means one-third of people are left out," he said.

Mr Miliband said the government needed "a much broader and bigger-scale strategy" to meet its target to reduce carbon emissions to net zero, including investing in nature conservation, increasing renewable energy, supporting manufacturers to be greener and improving transport.

Rosie Rogers, senior political advisor at Greenpeace UK, said the UK "isn't playing in the same league" as other countries, such as Germany, which is investing €40bn (£36bn) in green jobs and energy efficiency, or France, which pledged €15bn to tackle the climate crisis in June.

"Of course, this money is better than nothing, but it doesn't measure up to the economic and environmental crises. It's not enough to create the hundreds of thousands of new green jobs that are needed," she said.

"It's not enough to insulate all of the homes and buildings that need to be kept warm and more energy efficient.

"It's not enough to 'build back greener', and it's certainly not enough to put us on track to tackle the catastrophic impacts of the climate emergency."

• COVID-19 TESTING: Has it gone wrong?
• CORONAVIRUS NEWSCAST: The true impact of Covid-19 on travelling abroad

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2020-07-07 00:43:08Z
52780898176939

Boris Johnson accuses care home bosses of failing to look after their residents during the pandemic - Daily Mail

Boris Johnson ignites a care homes storm as he accuses bosses of failing to look after their residents during the pandemic

• Nearly 30,000 care home patients have died during the coronavirus pandemic 
• Boris Johnson has pointed the finger at care homes for not protecting patients 
• Care bosses have hit back at the PM's comments creating an angry dispute
• Mr Johnson was urged to spend time on reforms and not playing the blame game

By Ben Spencer Medical Correspondent For The Daily Mail

Published: 22:00 BST, 6 July 2020 | Updated: 23:39 BST, 6 July 2020

Boris Johnson provoked an angry dispute last night after he accused care homes of failing to look after their residents properly during the pandemic.

Triggering a blame game over the care home scandal, the Prime Minister said 'too many' facilities had not followed proper safety procedures.

Care bosses hit back, warning Mr Johnson his comments were 'neither accurate nor welcome'.

Boris Johnson claimed that too many care home facilities had not followed proper safety procedures to combat the cornavirus, which has prompted an angry dispute 

Social care has been hit badly by the crisis, with nearly 30,000 dying in care homes as a result of coronavirus. Tensions have simmered for weeks over the way officials and politicians have apportioned blame for the scandal.

NHS bosses are furious they have been criticised for discharging infected patients into care homes. And Public Health England officials have been angered over being blamed for a lack of testing capacity.

At the same time, ministers are sensitive about criticism over social care, which they have repeatedly promised to reform.

Those tensions boiled over last night as Mr Johnson assigned the failings to care homes.

Speaking during a visit to Goole in Yorkshire, the Prime Minister said: 'One of the things the crisis has shown is we need to think about how we organise our social care package better and how we make sure we look after people better who are in social care.

Tensions have risen over the way politicians and officials have assigned the blame as to the high number of coronavirus deaths in care homes (pictured) in the UK 

'We discovered too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures in the way that they could have, but we're learning lessons the whole time.'

He was responding to remarks by NHS chief Sir Simon Stevens, who said the coronavirus crisis had shone 'a very harsh spotlight' on the resilience of the sector and urged the Government to enact plans for reform within a year.

Mr Johnson last night accepted change is needed, saying: 'Most important is to fund them properly. But we will also be looking at ways to make sure the care sector long term is properly organised and supported.'

Vic Rayner, of the National Care Forum, rejected the criticism and urged the Prime Minister to start 'turning the dial up on reform and down on blame'.

She added: 'Mr Johnson's comments in relation to care homes' following of procedures are neither accurate nor welcome.

The Prime Minster has been told to spend more time making reforms than pointing fingers at the care home sector 

'Government guidance has come in stops and starts, with organisations grappling with over 100 pieces of additional guidance in the same number of days, much of which was not accompanied by an understanding of the operational implications of operating care services.

'Care providers have moved to adopt these procedures consistently, at pace and with integrity.'

The Independent Care Group said most providers had 'done their absolute best in the face of slow and conflicting advice'.

Chairman Mike Padgham said: 'We should not be getting into the blame game and it is wrong to criticise care and nursing homes at this time. 

'It is worth remembering that in February Public Health England told homes it was "very unlikely that people receiving care in a care home will become infected" and that homes didn't need to do anything differently.

'It was many weeks later, after most homes had already put themselves into lockdown, that the advice changed.'

National Care Forum chairman Mike Padgham said care homes have not got everything right in the fight against the pandemic, but neither has the Government 

It was only when the real death toll in homes became clear that the Government accepted social care was as much on the front line as hospitals, said Mr Padgham.

He added: 'Care providers may not have got everything perfect but neither has the Government.

'For much of this pandemic, providers were operating in the dark over what they ought to do and with one arm behind their backs in terms of the support they were given. In those circumstances, they have worked miracles.'

No 10 last night tried to calm the row, saying Mr Johnson had not been criticising care homes but had merely been highlighting the difficulties they faced.

'Throughout this crisis care homes have done a brilliant job under very difficult circumstances,' a spokesman said.

'The PM was pointing out that nobody knew what the correct procedures were because the extent of asymptomatic transmission was not known at the time.'

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2020-07-06 22:54:52Z
52780902492931

Coronavirus: Will Wednesday's mini-budget save YOUR job? - Sky News

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1. Coronavirus: Will Wednesday's mini-budget save YOUR job?  Sky News
2. How YOU could be getting a £500 voucher to spend in Britain's shops - Who would get one?  Express
3. Chancellor Rishi Sunak 'will AXE stamp duty for six months'  Daily Mail
4. To save the arts and all else we hold dear, a wealth tax now seems the only answer  The Guardian
5. We must stop wasting money on useless university courses, says LEO McKINSTRY  Express.co.uk
6. View Full coverage on Google News

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2020-07-06 20:26:48Z
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Bianca Williams stop: Police 'want to discuss sprinter's concerns' - BBC News

Met Police bosses say they want to speak to a Team GB sprinter who is accusing officers of racially profiling her in a stop and search.

Bianca Williams and Ricardo dos Santos, a Portuguese 400m runner, were stopped in Maida Vale, west London on Saturday.

Ms Williams, whose three-month-old son was in the car at the time, called it an "awful experience".

Cdr Helen Harper said she was "really keen" to speak to the couple "to discuss... the concerns they have".

The Met had said that officers were patrolling the area in which Ms Williams was stopped because of an increase in youth violence.

But the European and Commonwealth Games gold medallist believes the couple were targeted because they are black and were driving a Mercedes.

• What are my rights if I'm stopped and searched?

"They [the officers] said there's a lot of youth violence and stabbings in the area and that the car looked very suspicious," she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"They see a black male driving a nice car, an all-black car, and they assume that he was involved in some sort of gang, drug, violence problem."

Media playback is unsupported on your device

In a statement on Sunday evening the Met said the Mercedes was stopped after it was seen driving suspiciously, including being on the wrong side of the road, and that the driver had sped off when asked to stop.

'Getting ridiculous'

But this was rejected by Ms Williams, who said: "That is false, we were never on the wrong side of the road. We were driving down through single-width roads.

"We only found out about us driving on the wrong side of the road once they tweeted.

"This isn't the first or fourth or fifth time, it must be about the 10th. It's getting ridiculous.

"We are planning on taking it down the legal route. I feel very hurt by their actions, and to witness my partner being taken away and for me to be taken away from my son, my heart hurts."

The Met said officers from the Directorate of Professional Standards had reviewed footage from social media and officers' bodycams and were satisfied there was no concern around the officers' conduct during the stop and search of the two athletes.

"That does not mean there isn't something to be learnt from every interaction we have with the public," Cdr Helen Harper said.

"We want to listen to, and speak with, those who raise concerns, to understand more about the issues raised and what more we can do to explain police actions.

"Where we could have interacted in a better way, we need to consider what we should have done differently and take on that learning for the future."

Social media clips of police incidents must be treated with great care.

Often what you see is a short segment of an event that has gone on for some time; background information and context are seldom provided.

In this case, there are conflicting accounts as to what happened and why - which only an investigation is likely to resolve.

Nevertheless, the incident has reignited claims stop and search is being targeted at black people, particularly young men, and has given rise to concerns that handcuffs are being deployed unnecessarily, despite police guidance saying they should not be.

It appears the tactic, which Scotland Yard says has helped to reduce knife violence in London, remains as controversial and divisive as it's always been.

Speaking at a remote hearing of the House of Commons Human Rights Committee earlier, Baroness Lawrence said it was "ludicrous" that black people could not drive around in expensive cars.

"Stop and search will continue to be an element young people go through on a day-to-day basis," said the campaigner, whose murdered son was failed by an "institutionally racist" Met Police.

"And when they are stopped, it is not just one officer or two officers, you have six or seven officers standing around one individual, a young person who is probably frightened to death because he doesn't know what is going to happen to him.

"So if now people have mobile phones and start recording what is happening to them, we have the issues where police say it is one thing and the individual says it's another, and the authority believes the police over the individual.

"That is something that continues to happen."

Media playback is unsupported on your device

London mayor Sadiq Khan said he took allegations of racial profiling "extremely seriously" and he had raised the case with the Met.

The Independent Office for Police Complaints said it has not yet received an official complaint.

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2020-07-06 18:00:00Z
52780900095192

London flood chaos: North Circular underwater leaving drivers trapped in submerged cars - Express

The A406 North Circular Road is closed in both directions after a burst water main flooded both sides of the carriageway. The overflow of water overwhelmed motorists and forced them to a standstill. The London Fire Brigade are currently at the scene freeing motorists who were trapped in their cars at the Brent Cross Interchange. 

Video footage of the aftermath of the burst main has begun surfacing online.

Many videos feature cars stranded in the large body of water with one showing a truck attempting to drive through the flooded road.

The closure has resulted in heavy delays and traffic jams in both directions.

Some motorists have taken to Twitter to voice their frustration at the current situation.

DON'T MISS: Drivers can avoid traffic jams with this new app 

One annoyed social media user wrote: "Burst water main on A406 AGAIN.

"Tried to search for it online and looks like this isn't the first time this has happened.

"Last time in 2018? Who is doing such an awful job at fixing this mess?

"Ridiculous, take some damn responsibility, get the job done properly."

Another added: "Only in the northwest side of A406 does tomfoolery like flooding happen."

Another wrote: "This always happens in that area.

"Especially if there is heavy rain, however, it is not been raining today.

"Roadworks were happening in that part through last week on Hendon Way."

Other social media users were able to see the lighter side of the incident.

A Twitter user remarked: "That's alright, a replacement boat will help anyone who is trying to get anyone from the A406/A41 to the shopping centre and retail park.

Another added: "No, I'm sorry but the Ferrari that is sitting on the A406 is killing me lol'

Transport for London has not indicated when the area will be clear and opened again but motorists are being advised to avoid the area. 

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2020-07-06 16:46:36Z
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