The government-funded Warm Front scheme for heating and energy efficiency grants is no longer accepting new applications, The suspension of the scheme was announced on 15 December 2010, after the £345 million budget had run out, although all applications made before that date are to be honoured. This means that new applicants will have to wait until the new financial year, sometime after 1 April 2011, when the scheme's new budget and more targeted grant-giving strategy have been set.
Funding cuts
Future funding for the scheme has also been cut, to £110 million in the year 2011-12, and to £100 million in the following year, meaning that many vulnerable households will fail to get help under the scheme. Furthermore, existing applicants face a wait due to the big backlog of work, made worse by the bad weather in December. Even two years ago, during 2008-09, the average waiting times for Warm Front-funded installations in the West Midlands region were 60 days for heating measures and 26 days for insulation measures.