LIF. The Lighting Industry Federation

SPENDING REVIEW 2010

The Chancellor, George Osborne, has presented the Government's Spending Review, which sets spending budgets for each Government department up to 2014-15.

The points below are those deemed of most interest to the Partnership's members:

RHI

• £860 million of new support over the Spending Review period to support households and businesses investing in renewable heat measures.

 Feed-in Tariffs

• Feed-In Tariffs will be refocused on the most cost-effective technologies saving £40 million in 2014-15. The changes will be implemented at the first scheduled review of tariffs unless higher than expected deployment requires an early review.

Warmfront

• DECC will fund a smaller, targeted Warm Front programme for the next two years with a budget of £110 million in 2011/12 and £100 million in 2012/13

For full details of the spending review 2010 please sign into the members area or click here

Fuel Poverty

• The Government intends to initiate an independent review of the fuel poverty target and definition before the end of the year. 

Cold weather payments

• Make permanent the temporary increases to Cold Weather Payments provided in the past two winters, at a cost of £50 million a year, so that eligible households receive £25 for each seven day cold spell recorded or forecast where they live.

 Energy company obligations

• From April 2011, energy suppliers will provide greater help with the financial costs of energy bills to more of the most vulnerable fuel poor households, through Social Price Support - with total support of £250 million in 2011/12 rising to £310 million in 2014/15.

 Social housing & Decent Homes programme

• Social housing will be reformed to provide a more tailored response to individual need at lower cost. Investment alongside this reform will deliver up to 150,000 new affordable homes by 2014-15. Meanwhile, investment via the Decent Homes programme will continue to improve the existing social housing stock.

 New Homes Bonus

• A New Homes Bonus will be introduced that will directly reward and incentivise local authorities and local communities to be supportive of housing growth. It will reduce the total regulatory burden on the house building industry over the Spending Review period.

 Green Investment Bank

• The Government will initially capitalise a new institution with £1 billion funding together with additional significant proceeds from the sale of Government owned assets and private sector investment
• It will make its investment decisions independent from political control and will employ private sector skills and expertise. The Government aims to complete design and testing work by spring 2011.

 Carbon capture storage

• Up to £1 billion for one of the world's first commercial scale carbon capture and storage demonstrations on an electricity generation plant.

 Low carbon technologies

• More than £200 million for the development of low carbon technologies including offshore wind technology and manufacturing at ports sites.

 Apprenticeships

• Funding for adult apprenticeships will be increased by £250 million a year by 2014-15, relative to the level inherited from the previous government.

To red the full spending review, please log into the members area or click here