The Times newspaper has this morning published an irresponsible article by Steven Swinford, their deputy political editor, under the headline "£1.5 billion Green Homes Grant faces axe after a year"
All day this has caused needless anxiety amongst installers, homeowners and EEA members.
BEIS have reiterated that in the departmental spending revue the Chancellor has allocated £320million over the next 12 months for this scheme.
No one we have spoken to in Government, the Conservative party nor BEIS has been able to corroborate any of the claims made in The Times newspaper.
The Times is correct in highlighting the poor performance of the scheme since its launch, but it is clear in their analysis that there is no understanding of the underlying issues, nor the improvements that have been made to the scheme.
The Green Homes Grant is starting to function and while a halt to the scheme before Christmas might have been understandable, it is not a realistic option now. Too many companies have invested too much money (much more than the Government) in getting the scheme working so cancelling the scheme now would almost certainly result in the collapse of all future funding schemes currently being designed by BEIS.
This Scheme needs long term support and better communication, in order to achieve the aims of the Government. It also needs proper reporting by journalists in a timely manner.
If you wish to read the Times article it is available on the Times website https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/1-5-billion-green-homes-grant-faces-axe-after-a-year-v8fr799vc