NEA NI Response – Consultation on Department for Communities Budget 2025-26 allocations (EQIA)
Date: 07th Aug 2025
Fuel poverty ought to be specifically mentioned in Section 7.6viii as an adverse impact of the Department’s constrained Capital allocation for Housing and Affordable Warmth.
It is alarming that once again the Department’s Budget allocation for the provision of New Build Social Housing will fall significantly short of necessary targets. Current allocations will only support in the region of 1,000-unit new starts in 2025-26, compared to the target of 2,000. The provision of affordable good quality housing is vital for tackling fuel poverty. Social homes help reduce prevalence of homelessness, manage affordability for tenants, and in many cases new social homes are more energy efficient, hence reducing heating costs.
We are once again very concerned about the persistent underfunding of the Affordable Warmth Scheme. The allocation of £2.5m in 2025-26, is at least slightly more than the initial allocation of £2m in 2024/25, but it still falls significantly short of what is required to address energy inefficiency for low-income households. The Department estimates £2.5m will allow approximately 480 additional approvals to be made in 2025-26.
At this rate, we will never meet decarbonisation targets nor tackle the scourge of fuel poverty impacting so many households here.
You can download the full response from the link under ‘Resources’.
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