'Bonkers' green proposal scrapped

18/04/2012 11:07:16

 

Plans to make home owners pay for additional energy-efficiency measures when carrying out home improvements are set to be scrapped, Downing Street sources say.

Ministers' proposals had suggested that householders planning loft conversions or building extensions would be required to spend as much as 10% of the value of the project to upgrade their green facilities.

But, after sources revealed that Prime Minister David Cameron believed the scheme to be "bonkers," the Department for Communities and Local Government has been forced into a rethink.

The news highlighted tensions between the coalition, with a Tory MP labelling the "unpopular and wacky idea" as a Liberal Democrat brainchild, but the plan looked to be doomed after a source close to Cameron made his stance clear.

The source said: "This is a bonkers proposal and the Prime Minister frankly doesn't understand how it got into the consultation document in the first place.

"He is not going to allow a situation where someone who wants to do a bit of home improvement, replace a boiler or even a conservatory, is forced to pay another 10% on top.

"We're all for going green, but this is a ridiculous idea."

Copyright Press Association 2012

 

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