A petition demanding better insulation and more sustainable energy gained 1,650 signatures, reports Olivia Opara

Local MPs have responded to a petition signed by 1,650 Haringey residents demanding warmer homes. 

On 26th November, Friends of the Earth Haringey handed over a petition with 1,650 residents’ signatures to David Lammy MP and Catherine West MP, demanding warm homes for all in Haringey. The petition also calls for urgent support for people dealing with increasingly unaffordable energy and utility bills.

The petition and campaign is backed by Haringey councillors and thirteen local organisations: Haringey Unison, Muswell Hill Methodist Church, London Islamic Cultural Society, Living Under One Sun, Haringey Play Association, Haringey Federation of Residents Associations, CREOS, Bounds Green Food Bank, The Engine Room N17, FARA, Haringey Welcome, Exposure, and Muswell Hill UR Church.

Over the last few months, Friends of the Earth Haringey hosted a series of events and campaigns for a roll-out of home insulation in Haringey and more sustainable energy sources. This forms part of a wider campaign United for Warm Homes launched by the England, Wales and Northern Ireland branches of the international Friends of the Earth collective. 

According to data shared by Friends of the Earth Haringey, over 9,000 homes in Tottenham do not have loft insulation – with over 4,000 lacking cavity wall insulation. 8,900 homes in Hornsey and Wood Green lack loft insulation, with 3,800 lacking cavity wall insulation.

Friends of the Earth coordinators, Tim and Quentin, said: “Burning gas in our homes is Haringey’s biggest contribution to climate change. We will continue to press for rapid action to cut bills and carbon emissions up to and beyond the next general election.”

Catherine West, MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, said: “Large-scale insulation came to a halt when the coalition took power in 2010. A Labour government is committed to £28billion a year to insulate homes, and shift to low-carbon heating and electricity generation.”

David Lammy, MP for Tottenham, said: “Thousands of my constituents live in poorly insulated homes and suffer high bills and poor.”

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