Hampshire schools to get new roofs in £5.5m bid to make education carbon neutral
MILLIONS of pounds will be spent on improving the energy efficiency of schools in Hampshire.
At the Hampshire County Council decision day for commercial strategy, estates and property today, executive lead member Cllr Steve Forster approved the spending of around £5.5m on school roof improvements.
The work, taking place at 15 schools across the county, will be fully-funded by the Schools Condition Allocation grant.
Cllr Forster said: 'I am delighted to see these projects coming forward, and have noted excellent work that has been done by the team already.
'This work will play a crucial role in the decarbonisation of our schools, as we pursue net-zero carbon emissions.
'Through these new roofs, schools will be much more energy efficient with significantly improved insulation.'
Park Gate Primary School and Wickham Primary School will receive roof improvements costing £380,000 for each school, with a further £260,000 being spent at Portchester Community School.
The council's decarbonisation programme is part of ongoing net-zero initiatives, in a bid to meet the national 2050 target.
The programme now encompasses more than 500 projects across the county, ranging from window replacements to new boilers and solar panels.
With ongoing issues over material and labour shortages, there are some concerns over delays and price costs.
But the council insists it will 'ensure value for money and minimise disruption', with the report adding that the county council is 'on track to deliver £32m of decarbonisation investment across the corporate and schools estate by the end of this financial year.'
No deadline has been publicly set for when the works will be completed.