THOUSANDS of families across the West Midlands are set to save a combined £3million a year on their household fuel bills as the region is handed greater responsibility from Westminster.
Details showing the impact on the economy and people’s standard of living from the £389m Integrated Settlement secured by West Midlands Mayor, Richard Parker, have been published by the Government.
The Integrated Settlement Outcomes Framework, released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), shows what the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) will deliver over the coming 12 months to boost economic growth, jobs, homes and transport.
The region’s first ever settlement, a cornerstone of the West Midlands’ devolution deal with Government, will give the Mayor and local leaders greater control, choice and power to focus the money on regional priorities.
Over the coming year the £389m, alongside the region’s existing £211m transport fund, will deliver support for 4,275 businesses, mearly 1,000 new jobs, more than 1,770 new homes – many of them affordable, almost 240m bus journeys and additional cycle routes and electric vehicle charging points.
The money will also be used to support the three-year, £167m Buildings Retrofit Pilot, which will see 14,000 homes, including 12,300 social houses, benefit from measures such as low carbon heating, and energy efficient insulation.
This is said to cut fuel bills for those households and put an average of £236 a year back into their pockets.
The pilot will also invest £36m into retrofitting public buildings, cutting fuel bills for local authorities, schools, healthcare and emergency services.
The Mayor said: “Government is backing our region – putting funds and powers into the hands of local leaders, so that we can make the right decisions for the West Midlands.
“We will use this money to get more people into jobs with better paid work, maintain and improve our public transport network, deliver more affordable and social housing and help businesses to grow.
“And we will tackle fuel poverty by improving thousands of old and cold homes, cutting people’s energy use and bills.
“My mission is clear – growth, jobs, journeys and homes for everyone. This is how we are going to change thousands of lives for the better.”
The WMCA will also use part of the Integrated Settlement to further deliver the region’s Investment Zone, a 25-year initiative capable of driving more than £5bn of investment and 30,000 new jobs.
Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE, said: “Devolution is an absolute priority for us and the West Midlands receiving their first integrated settlement is a milestone moment.
“Transferring power from Whitehall to local leaders who know their area best is at the heart of our plans to simplify funding and boost regional growth in a decade of renewal as part of our Plan for Change.”
The first Integrated Settlement, which will run to March 2026, will deliver services and projects that had previously relied on the region’s ability to win multiple grants from different government departments.
