As the latest “more heat and light” global conference on climate change piss up and preening draws to a close, the issue of carbon reduction measures came up in the Senedd earlier this week; more specifically, the ongoing Arbed home insulation scandal in Caerau.
Despite taking a baby step forward, sadly it seems like it’s no nearer a solution.
Huw Irranca-Davies MS (Lab, Ogmore) continues to welcome the Welsh Government’s home retrofit programme. However, lessons needed to be learned from the failings of previous schemes to rebuild confidence that these schemes work.
“We’ve had some difficulties in some schemes that have been funded by Welsh Government and UK Government in….Caerau, but I know it’s not isolated to there; there have been others in Wales. You’ve been having discussions with Bridgend County Borough Council. I wonder if you can give me an update on how those are going because we need to make sure that those residents have their homes made good after they had unsatisfactory installations.”
– Huw Irranca-Davies MS
Minister for Climate Change, Julie James (Lab, Swansea West), accepted that the Arbed scheme has failed in Caerau because it provided the wrong solution in the wrong place (external wall insulation). Unfortunately, the Minister then moved to distance the Welsh Government from the mess.
“Disappointingly, it was a UK Government scheme that I know you’re aware that your constituents took advantage of. It was supported with some Welsh Government money in order to make it possible. Unfortunately….the original operators (involving the late Phil White) have gone bankrupt, there are no guarantees and performance bonds in place, and there are a number of other issues.
“Disappointingly, the UK Government is refusing to take any responsibility for the aftermath of its scheme, which I think is just disgraceful.”
– Minister for Climate Change, Julie James
The Minister went on to say that formal legal advice was due “in the next week or so” on what help the Welsh Government could provide affected residents.
Another cold, damp winter awaits
So there you are then. “Legal advice” is coming. But the only people who should be getting legal advice right now are the affected residents in Caerau – who will also go to the polls in a few weeks as a by-election to fill the vacancy on Bridgend Council was confirmed yesterday (pdf).
Huw Irranca-Davies has tabled a short debate in the Senedd on the wider topic of external insulation next week so hopefully we’ll get a more detailed answer and policy position from the Minister.
Putting that glimmer of hope to one side for a moment, the behaviour of everyone involved to date has been an absolute disgrace. It looks like the Welsh and UK governments – as well as Bridgend Council – are doing their very best to wriggle their way out of this.
More effort and thought has gone into figuring out whose fault it is than fixing the problems. The entire scheme – as it was when the work was carried out in Caerau – was a cowboy’s charter and has the fingerprints of Bridgend Council as well as the UK and Welsh governments all over it. It’s about time they owned it.
I suspect the reason why that hasn’t happened yet is that they know full well that this is could be the tip of the iceberg (for however long icebergs exist).
It first got coverage at a national level not because of Caerau, but Arbed-related work in Gwynedd. MSs have held debates on the damage cavity wall insulation does in driving rain too. They know how bad this could be.
If culpability is accepted for Caerau and it costs up to £1million to fix, it’ll have to be accepted everywhere. I’d hazard a guess that the price tag to clean up the mess across Wales will come with another zero or two at the end.
I’ve also been reliably told that Audit Wales won’t be investigating the matter. It’ll be left to Bridgend Council’s internal auditors, which is bizarre as at the very heart of this is an issue over the administration of public funding by the council – at the most extreme end, possible unlawful practices. Yet, the council are essentially investigating themselves. There haven’t been any updates on the possible investigation by the Public Services Ombudsman either. Something as bad as this needs rolling updates, not the occasional report.
Bridgend Council is also, without irony, seeking to expand the Arbed scheme into the Ogmore valley and Porthcawl before anything is done to correct the poor workmanship in Caerau.
Maybe there are tighter controls now. However, you cannot expect people to sign up to have work done on their homes to tackle climate change and fuel poverty if they think it’s going to leave them worse off based on what’s happened elsewhere. That goes for district heat systems, heat pumps, adding hydrogen to domestic gas supplies, cladding, insulation – all of it.
