THE Hexham constituency has been revealed to be one of the UK's worst insulated, as statistics show government insulation targets will not be met for nearly 70 years.

At least 300,000 homes UK-wide should have insulation measures installed by 2026, based on the Government's Great British Insulation Scheme targets.

Environmental think tank E3G figures revealed fewer than 3,000 households have had measures installed during the first eight months of the scheme, which was introduced in May 2023 to reduce the impact of energy prices and carbon emissions.

3,526 insulation measures have been installed in 2,979 homes in total. If this rate continues, E3G calculated it will take 67 years to reach the government's target of 300,000 homes. 

It comes as Which? statistics revealed the Hexham constituency is one of the worst insulated in England.

Which? analysis found Hexham properties generally have poor levels of wall insulation, good levels of roof insulation, and very poor levels of floor insulation.

These are more likely to be houses which are older and need more maintenance.

Hexham's constituency has one of the highest proportions of older people in the country, with a very high prevalence of health conditions including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

Joe Morris, Labour’s candidate for the Hexham constituency, said Labour’s plan for insulation would see 19 million of the ‘leakiest’ homes retrofitted, supporting thousands of jobs and reducing the UK’s carbon emissions.

Mr Morris said: “At this time of year, we are all concerned about our heating bills, but the news that the Government won't hit their own insulation targets until 2091 beggars belief.

“These figures are hugely concerning, and demonstrate the utter failure of ambition that the Conservatives have shown for our area. Over 14 years in Government, they have failed to upgrade our housing stock, leaving families paying more to heat their homes when the cost of living is skyrocketing.

“Clearly, our communities need a change: an MP with ambition for what can be, who will take real action to fight the cost of living crisis and boost our local economy. We need a Labour MP and a Labour government.”

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said: “We expect the rate of installations under the Great British Installation Scheme to increase over the coming months, and estimate more than 300,000 of Britain’s least energy efficient homes will be improved up to 2026 – helping to heat homes and save families money on their bills.

“Our record on energy efficiency speaks for itself, with almost half of all homes in England having an EPC rating of C or above, up from 14 per cent in 2010.”

Hexham MP Guy Opperman was contacted for comment.