SCHOOLS and college in Winchester will receive a share of £500m to combat energy bills.

Steve Brine, MP for Winchester and Chandler’s Ford, welcomed the extra government funding, believing the scheme will help schools and colleges save on energy bills and manage consumption following the peak in prices due to the war in Ukraine.

The government hopes the financial injection will boost energy efficiency and increase winter resilience for future years.

On average, a primary school will receive approximately £16,000, a secondary school will receive around £42,000, and further education college groups will benefit from approximately £290,000.

State schools and colleges will be supported with installing better heating controls and insulation to minimise heat loss from pipes as well as switching to energy efficient lighting.

The funding will be available in the coming weeks and recipients will be able to decide what energy upgrades to prioritise.

READ MORE: Winnall family left without heating slam Winchester City Council

Mr Brine said: “Schools and colleges are facing rising energy bills during the winter months, after Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine has driven up energy prices worldwide.

“That is why I welcome the Conservative government providing a share of £500 million for energy efficiency upgrades for schools and colleges in Winchester and Chandler’s Ford.

“On top of the energy relief scheme, this extra funding will continue supporting schools and colleges by reducing how much they need to spend on their energy and giving them greater certainty over their budgets.”

The extra funding is in addition to £1.8 billion of capital investment already committed this year to improve the condition of school buildings.

Education secretary Gillian Keegan said: “Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine is driving up energy prices worldwide, so it is important to look at the things we can do to make classrooms more energy efficient and resilient to price fluctuations.

“We’re putting this cash in the hands of school and college leaders quickly, so they can decide what work is needed and so that our brilliant teachers can focus on teaching in a warm and safe environment.

“Education is rightly a top priority for this government and we will continue to strive to provide every child with a world-class education.”

Chair of Winchester Action on the Climate Crisis (WinACC), Alex Clayton, said: 

"WinACC welcomes additional investment in energy efficiency as this is widely recognised as one of the easiest steps towards net-zero. We urge the government to increase their ambition and also find ways of facilitating private sector funding for this issue. 

"There is also huge demand for energy efficiency interventions across the private sector but a crippling lack of capacity that risks entrenching fuel poverty and putting companies out of business. We hope to see this new investment provide business opportunities for local firms that increases the capacity for retrofitting across Winchester District. This has been an aim of WinACC’s SuperHomes project and it is clear that more must be done in this area.

"Local issues with heating related fuel poverty and decarbonisation are rooted in under-ambitious policies and limited investment. These were criticised even before the current energy crisis. The horse has now bolted and unnecessary public expenditure will be going directly to energy companies. We hope that this investment shows that the government has learnt from past mistakes and will provide increasingly high ambition assistance for energy efficiency."