Green Alliance responds to Budget 2021

“The Treasury is moving in a greener direction, but very slowly.

“There is good initial funding for the National Infrastructure Bank, with the potential for creating thousands of jobs, but it falls well short of transformational funding. Without a clear net zero and nature mandate, the bank’s money could in theory go to roads, coal mines or incinerators rather than genuinely green jobs.

“The Green Homes Grant is the elephant in the room. The grant was the government’s flagship green job programme, but its absence from the Budget gives little confidence that it isn’t going to be scrapped. Pulling moderate spending packages like this is not a good sign.

“The chancellor can still choose to fund projects that fire the promised ‘green recovery’ across the country, but valuable time is being lost.”

Green Alliance estimates a £13.5bn shortfall per year in funding low carbon infrastructure.