7,700 'fuel poor' households in Bath and North East Somerset, already struggling with the rising cost of living, are forking out an extra £250 a year on fuel bills because of leaky homes. This shows the need for an urgent "retrofit ramp up" according to West of England Metro Mayor Dan Norris.

£250 a year's worth of costly heat is wasted through the walls, roofs and windows of poorly insulated housing on average according to new research from the Local Government Association which was shared with the Metro Mayor.

But properly insulating these homes could save up to £1.1m a year from sky high energy bills in Bath and North East Somerset. The LGA also calculate it would reduce NHS costs by £1.1m annually, as cold and damp homes contribute to illness, and cut a vital 1,300 tons of carbon dioxide a year from the area to tackle the climate emergency.

Mr Norris said the findings show the need to redouble efforts to insulate homes. As part of the Metro Mayor's flagship Green Recovery fund, the West of England Combined Authority is investing over £3 million to begin retrofitting over 250,000 homes in need of energy improvements across the region.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: "I've never understood why the Government with all the powers and resources at their fingertips have failed to do something as simple as organise a basic loft lagging scheme. But the failure of the Government on insulating homes means the West of England Combined Authority I lead has had to step up to the plate. The Climate Change Committee warned in a scathing report last week that ministers were missing the mark on insulation. From Georgian Bath townhouses, to Bristolian Victorian terraces to beautiful lias stone cottages and more, there are huge numbers of homes that need investment now to ease the cost-of-living crisis and ensure we meet our ambitious net zero targets".