Ashden CEO Harriet Lamb responds to the chancellor’s 3 March budget statement. 

“Despite some welcome new initiatives, this was not the green growth budget that we need to counter climate change and create jobs. With just eight months until the UK hosts COP26 in Glasgow, this was a missed chance for global green leadership.”

“Where was the plan to retrofit our cold, old homes – or our public buildings such as schools where young people are crying out for climate action? There was not a squeak about the Green Homes Grant which has struggled because we do not have the people trained in the right skills and Government is not offering long term certainty to companies. We have 96,000 gas engineers but just 750 accredited heat pump engineers and only 500 retrofit coordinators; and only 5 out of 200 FE colleges offer dedicated courses in Renewable Energy.

“This was the moment to score the twin goals of creating jobs and laying the foundations of the green economy – and the Chancellor missed.”