Announcing the new target Sir Steve said: "Cutting carbon emissions makes sense from a local, national and global perspective. Our focus in Lewisham is on those most affected by rising bills and cold weather, and on bringing in as much external funding as we can to improve the energy efficiency of homes".
As part of this commitment Lewisham has been delivering an insulation scheme for social housing in the borough, funded through a grant from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). Over 1,000 households in some of the least energy efficiency buildings in the borough have benefited from this scheme run in partnership between the Council and Lewisham Homes.
One example of how the HCA funding has been put to good use is a new project with Affinity Sutton Housing, a registered social landlord operating in the borough, to install cavity wall insulation with the help of a team of abseiling specialists, Avalon Abseiling.
Sir Steve went to view the works in progress to see workers abseiling down the side of a the 11 storey Leybridge Court Estate, in Lee, south east London.
Sir Steve said: "This work helps people heat their home and saves money on energy bills, and with no let up in the current cold weather we know how important this is for many of our residents. Using abseiling to insulate the building means we don’t have to put up scaffolding, getting the work done quicker and cheaper with less hassle for residents."
Simon Powell, head of area for south east London at the Homes and Communities Agency, said: "The HCA supports projects which enable people to lead greener lifestyles. This insulation scheme means Lewisham is making an important contribution to the drive to cut carbon emissions in the borough and deliver real benefits to affordable housing residents, such as lower energy bills."
