I was delighted to have the opportunity to set out my vision for creating local green jobs in the Net Zero Northern Powerhouse essay collection, published this week by the Conservative Environment Network. The collection recommends a suite of new policies that would help the government deliver its cornerstone manifesto pledge to level up the North of England, while also implementing its 2050 net zero emissions target and creating good-quality jobs in emerging green industries.
I’m delighted to take part in this essay collection. The North of England has a proud history as the pioneers of the first industrial revolution. We are now set to be the innovators and engineers driving the new green industrial revolution. From the UK’s world-leading offshore wind sector off the North East and North West coastline, to the EVs that are manufactured in Sunderland and the hydrogen that is produced in the Tees Valley, the North has the technological excellence that the UK will need to reach net zero. The government should support these innovative green businesses in our area to grow, develop new clean technologies, and create thousands more jobs.
In my essay entitled Retrofitting our homes and making them energy efficient I welcome the Chancellor’s announcement in the summer to pilot a £50 million Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, which was also included in the government’s 10 point plan. He wrote that “Combined with the appropriate use of the planned £9.2 billion manifesto commitment to boost energy efficiency, this could raise the energy standard of all social housing to at least EPC band C by 2030. If established with a long-term framework, such a scheme could also spur local businesses and jobs. Many of the businesses who provide retrofits in Thirsk and Malton are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which will be central to both the economic recovery and levelling up our country. There’s huge scope to create lasting, high-skilled, and well-paid jobs in the construction sector through social housing retrofits.
Read the collection: https://www.cen.uk.com/net-zero-northern-powerhouse
