The Guardian – Property

Calls to Move England’s Home Insulation Scheme Into Council Workers’ Hands

A Commonwealth think‑tank recommends that English councils replace private contractors with in‑house crews to deliver the £15 bn Warm Homes plan. The proposal calls for creating 30 regional "home improvement corporations" that would train and employ up to 140,000 workers to install insulation, heat pumps and solar panels. It argues that council‑run teams would lower the high remediation rates seen in previous schemes, which the National Audit Office found plagued 98% of external‑wall projects. The shift aims to boost quality, speed and equity of retrofits, especially in deprived neighbourhoods.