Following his recent report, London’s ‘Retrofit Revolution’: What’s going wrong?, Zack Polanski AM took his inquiry directly to London’s Mayor during today’s Mayor’s Question Time.
After pushing the Mayor to take accountability for the retrofitting shortcoming, rather than deflect blame onto Government, Green London Assembly Member Zack Polanski said:
“London’s housing stock is being retrofitted at a tenth of the speed it needs to be. Meanwhile, funding from Government is going unspent because London doesn’t have the skilled workers to capitalise on it. Every day that passes, the climb to hit the Mayor’s own net zero target becomes even steeper.
“It’s not enough for him to declare a ‘retrofit revolution,’ issue a press release, and walk away. Londoners need actual follow-through to deliver a stronger supply chain, create better pathways into retrofit work, and make sure our homes are fit for the twenty-first century.
“I am pleased my report has successfully put retrofitting back on the Mayor’s agenda. It’s time he stands behind his own promise and helps deliver the retrofit revolution London so badly needs.” [1]
Issued in September 2023, the primary recommendations from Zack Polanski AM’s report are as follows:
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The Mayor and London Partnership Board should urgently assess the recent failure to deliver existing retrofit funding from the Government, through councils and the GLA, and share their findings.
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The Mayor should work with the London Partnership Board retrofit sub-group to publish a GLA retrofit strategy, with actions the GLA specifically can make across training provision, procurement, and elsewhere.
The full report can be viewed and downloaded on the website.
Zack Polanski AM’s full exchange with London Mayor Sadiq Khan can be viewed here.
Notes to editors
[1] London Partnership Board: Retrofit London Board Paper. Mayor of London, March 2023 [www.london.gov.uk/moderngovmb/documents/s76625/07%20Retrofit%20London.pdf]