Committee Report Checklist
Stage 1
Report checklist – responsibility of report owner
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ITEM |
Yes / No |
Date |
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Councillor engagement / input from Chair prior to briefing |
Yes |
03/12/25 |
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Commissioner engagement (if report focused on issues of concern to Commissioners such as Finance, Assets etc) |
N/A |
N/A |
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Relevant Group Head review |
Yes |
05/12/25 |
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MAT+ review (to have been circulated at least 5 working days before Stage 2) |
Yes |
05/12/25 |
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This item is on the Forward Plan for the relevant committee |
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Reviewed by |
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|
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Finance comments (circulate to Finance) |
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|
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Risk comments (circulate to Lee O’Neil) |
L O’Neil |
23/12/25 |
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Legal comments (circulate to Legal team) |
LH |
11/12/25 |
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HR comments (if applicable) |
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For reports with material financial or legal implications the author should engage with the respective teams at the outset and receive input to their reports prior to asking for MO or s151 comments.
Do not forward to stage 2 unless all the above have been completed.
Stage 2
Report checklist – responsibility of report owner
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ITEM |
Completed by |
Date |
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Monitoring Officer commentary – at least 5 working days before MAT |
L Heron |
11/12/25 |
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S151 Officer commentary – at least 5 working days before MAT |
T.Collier |
10/12/25 |
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Confirm final report cleared by MAT |
Yes |
23/12/25 |
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Title |
Formal Endorsement of Surrey County Council Retrofit Strategic Action Plan |
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Purpose of the report |
To make a decision |
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Report Author |
Arthur Stokhuyzen: Climate & Energy Lead |
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Ward(s) Affected |
All Wards |
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Exempt |
No |
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Corporate Priority |
Addressing Housing Need Resilience Environment |
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Recommendations
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Committee is asked to: - To approve the formal endorsement of Surrey County Council Retrofit Strategic Action Plan - To approve the Chair of the Environment & Sustainability Committee to sign the endorsement letter |
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Reason for Recommendation |
Endorsing Surrey County Council’s Retrofit Strategic Action Plan ensures Spelthorne aligns with county-wide climate commitments. Participation strengthens our position within shared funding, delivery and skills-development programmes. Formal endorsement also secures Spelthorne’s role within the emerging governance structures ahead of Local Government Reorganisation, ensuring our interests are represented and future delivery remains stable. |
1. Executive summary of the report (expand detail in Key Issues section below)
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What is the situation |
Why we want to do something |
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• A coordinated county-wide Retrofit Strategic Action Plan has been developed through the Local Area Retrofit Accelerator to address retrofit issues and guide unified action. • Retrofit activity across the county is currently fragmented. |
• The strategy aims to reduce emissions, improve energy efficiency in homes, and help meet Surrey-wide and national Net Zero commitments. • To support residents by cutting energy bills. • To coordinate efforts, unlock funding, grow local skills and supply chains, and ensure consistent, effective retrofit delivery across the county. |
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This is what we want to do about it |
These are the next steps |
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• Endorse the Surrey Retrofit Strategic Action Plan to align Spelthorne with a coordinated, county-wide retrofit approach. • Participate in shared governance, funding programmes, and delivery structures established through the Plan. • Work with partners to expand local retrofit capacity, improve resident access to advice and support, and accelerate upgrades to homes across the borough. |
• Submit the Plan to the Environment & Sustainability Committee for formal endorsement. • That the Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee sign the Spelthorne BC Letter of Endorsement (Appendix A) |
2. Key issues
2.1 The Surrey Retrofit Strategic Action Plan (Appendix B) and supporting Appendix (Appendix C) set out a county-wide approach to increasing the scale and coordination of home retrofit activity.
2.2 The Plan aims to ensure that Surrey residents live in homes that are warm, healthy, affordable to run and low carbon. Retrofit for homes means upgrading existing buildings to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. This typically involves measures like adding insulation, replacing inefficient heating systems, installing renewable energy technologies, and improving ventilation to make homes warmer, healthier, and more sustainable.
2.3 The Plan has been produced through the Local Area Retrofit Accelerator (LARA). LARA is an initiative funded by the MCS Foundation aimed at accelerating home energy retrofits at scale by supporting local authorities and community groups with tools, data, and guidance to deliver area-based retrofit programs efficiently.
2.4 Surrey faces significant challenges linked to the condition and performance of its housing stock, including around 330,000 homes rated EPC D or below and rising levels of fuel poverty. The Plan proposes coordinated measures to improve access to advice, build resident confidence, grow local supply chain capacity and increase take-up of funding and finance options.
2.5 It also sets out actions to support skills development, improve the use of data, and strengthen partnership working so delivery can be scaled effectively and fairly across the county.
2.6 Endorsing the Plan would align Spelthorne with a shared strategic approach and ensure the borough can influence how retrofit activity is governed and delivered across Surrey.
2.7 Not endorsing the Plan would limit Spelthorne’s ability to participate in joint structures, including Warm Homes programme coordination and future arrangements linked to Local Government Reorganisation.
2.8 The Plan places strong emphasis on consistent messaging, shared delivery models and improved coordination between partners, which is important given the current fragmented landscape of schemes and variable supply chain capacity. This would help prevent delivery issues arising from funding schemes that has been seen with the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) initiative.
2.9 These elements aim to avoid duplication, make better use of collective resources, and ensure residents receive reliable and joined-up support.
2.10 The Plan includes priority early actions, such as establishing an ‘interim backbone organisation’, agreeing roles and responsibilities, strengthening monitoring arrangements and creating thematic forums to support ongoing partnership working.
2.11 Endorsement would allow Spelthorne to contribute to these arrangements and benefit from the collective capacity, investment opportunities and efficiencies created through joint working.
2.12 Specifically, Spelthorne will benefit from:
(a) Helping meet borough-wide net zero commitments.
(b) Improving the quality of housing across Spelthorne.
(c) Supporting economic development of the retrofit market and creating local jobs.
2.13 Taking further advantage of national funding streams (e.g., Warm Homes Grant).
(a) Access to shared resources and expertise.
2.14 The Council would support implementation through communications, outreach and community engagement using existing staff resources, helping to ensure residents receive clear, consistent and trusted information.
2.15 Specifically, it will contribute to the following goals:
(a) 1.2D: Supporting data-sharing initiatives by providing local housing and EPC data to improve targeting of retrofit interventions.
(b) 2.1: Promoting trusted advice channels through council communications.
(c) 2.1.2B: Partnering with community groups (e.g., Zero Carbon Guildford) to deliver home energy visits and workshops locally.
(d) 2.1.2: Developing targeted outreach for vulnerable households facing higher barriers, ensuring inclusivity.
(e) 4.1.1A: Encouraging council procurement policies that prioritize accredited local installers.
2.16 These benefits and contributions are included in the Spelthorne BC Letter of Endorsement (Appendix A) which it is recommended that the Chair of the Committee signs.
3. Options appraisal and proposal
3.1 Option 1 (Recommended): Full Endorsement of the Surrey Retrofit Strategic Action Plan
3.2 The Council formally endorses the Plan and commits to participating in shared governance, delivery, and monitoring arrangements.
3.3 Option 2: Do not endorse the Strategy
3.4 Spelthorne Borough Council takes no formal position on the Surrey Retrofit Strategic Action Plan.
3.5 Option 3: Partial endorsement of the Strategy (support in principle)
3.6 The Council notes the Plan and agrees with its direction but stops short of formal endorsement
4. Risk implications
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Risk |
Description |
Mitigation |
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Lack of coordination if SBC does not endorse the Plan |
Without endorsement, Spelthorne may be excluded from county-wide governance and delivery structures, leading to fragmented retrofit activity and missed opportunities. |
Endorse the Plan to ensure alignment, influence, and access to shared resources. |
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Increased demand on SBC staff time |
Supporting comms, outreach, and community development may place additional pressure on existing staff capacity. |
Activities will be delivered within existing resourcing; clear work planning and prioritisation will be managed internally. |
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Failure to maximise available funding |
Inconsistent engagement could limit SBC’s ability to benefit from Warm Homes funding and future Government/industry finance. |
Full participation in county-level coordination and implementation to ensure strong funding alignment. |
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Supply chain and skills shortages |
Insufficient installer capacity and skills could delay delivery of retrofit projects for residents. |
Work within the Surrey-wide approach to grow the local supply chain and engage training providers. |
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Reputational risk |
Not endorsing the Plan could signal a lack of commitment to climate targets and fuel poverty reduction. |
Endorse the Plan to demonstrate leadership and alignment with Surrey-wide climate action. |
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Quality Assurance |
Historically, retrofit upgrade schemes have been poorly delivered leaving disappointed customers and adverse media attention. |
SCC has a strong accountability feedback loop to ensure quality control and customer satisfaction |
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LGR transition uncertainty |
Without involvement in shared governance, SBC may lose influence during the transition to new unitary authorities. |
Endorse the Plan to secure a place within interim governance structures and shape future delivery. |
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Data and monitoring challenges |
Lack of consistent data across partners may limit effective monitoring and reporting. |
5. Financial implications
5.1 There are no direct financial implications arising from endorsement of the Surrey Retrofit Strategic Action Plan.
5.2 Officer time will be required to support communications, outreach, community development and participation in governance structures; however, this will be absorbed within existing staffing resources and has already been considered within current workloads.
6. Legal comments
6.1 There are no immediate legal implications arising from endorsing the Action Plan.
Corporate implications
7. S151 Officer comments
7.1 The S151 Officer confirms that all financial implications have been taken into account and that the recommendations are fully funded from within the current and 2026-27 budget.
8. Monitoring Officer comments
8.1 The Monitoring Officer to confirm that the relevant legal implications have been taken into account.
9. Procurement comments
9.1 There are no procurement considerations with this approval
10. Equality and Diversity
10.1 The Surrey Retrofit Strategic Action Plan places strong emphasis on inclusive delivery, recognising that some households face greater barriers to accessing retrofit support, including low-income residents, older people, disabled residents, and those who may be digitally excluded.
10.2 Endorsing the Plan supports a coordinated, county-wide approach designed to improve equity by targeting fuel-poor households, expanding access to advice, and ensuring vulnerable groups benefit from improved home comfort, reduced bills, and better health outcomes.
10.3 There are no identified negative equality impacts arising from endorsement, and actions taken under the Plan are expected to contribute positively to reducing inequalities across the borough.
11. Sustainability/Climate Change Implications
11.1 The Surrey Retrofit Strategic Action Plan directly supports the Council’s climate objectives by accelerating improvements to the energy efficiency of homes, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing climate resilience across the borough.
12. Other considerations
12.1 Officer resourcing required to support communications, outreach and community development activity has already been considered within existing capacity, and there are no further considerations identified at this stage.
13. Timetable for implementation
13.1 Environment & Sustainability Committee: 8th January
13.2 Formal endorsement: 13th January
13.3 Send endorsement to SCC: 14th January
13.4 Strategy Commencement: 27th January
14. Contact
14.1 Please contact Climate & Energy Lead: Arthur Stokhuyzen (a.stokhuyzen@spelthorne.gov.uk)
Please submit any material questions to the Committee Chair and Officer Contact by two days in advance of the meeting.
Appendices:
Appendix A: Spelthorne BC Letter of endorsement
Appendix B: Surrey Retrofit Strategic Action Plan
Appendix C: Surrey Retrofit Strategic Action Plan Appendix