Calls have been made for an expansion of the government's Green Homes Grant, as it emerged that hundreds of millions of pounds are to be withdrawn within weeks. Construction minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan revealed in a parliamentary answer that, despite only 5 per cent of the £2bn home-improvement subsidy having been issued so far, unspent cash would not be carried over for use into the next financial year and would instead be replaced by a £320m funding pot. In July last year, the government announced that, under the programme, it would pay at least two-thirds of the cost of energy-saving home improvements, up to £5,000, and people on the lowest incomes could receive up to £10,000 towards the cost of measures such as the installation of insulation and double glazing. The then business secretary Alok Sharma said the scheme would support "around 130,000 jobs".
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