In one of our guest blogs for the Greater Manchester Green Summit, Sureserve discuss people-centred climate action and its measurable progress in home energy upgrades, carbon reduction, and local skills development.
Greater Manchester’s climate ambition is clear, focused and urgent. Over the past decade, the region has become the fastest growing economy in the UK. That growth brings opportunity, but it also creates pressure. Transport demand has increased, housing needs have intensified, and carbon emissions, air pollution and resource consumption remain real challenges across the city region.
The Greater Manchester 5 Year Environment Plan sets out a welcome response. Its target to become carbon neutral by 2038 signals serious intent by the region’s leaders, backed by action across homes, transport, energy, the natural environment and waste. It is a forward looking strategy grounded in delivery.
This ambition matters to Sureserve. Our work across housing and energy is driven by the same objective to deliver measurable environmental progress that strengthens communities and supports long term growth.
That is why we are proud to be headline sponsor of the Greater Manchester Green Summit – to listen to what matters most here, and play our own part in turning shared ambition into coordinated action. For Sureserve, this is not a one off event, but a part of a sustained partnership to help Greater Manchester achieve even more.
Greater Manchester is already being recognised nationally for smart action on sustainability and social value. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has won awards for its innovative approach to procurement and home energy improvement programmes, and its pioneering Housing First initiative looks set to help provide healthy homes for all by 2038. The impacts of such work are tangible. More than 3,500 homes have been upgraded, helping residents stay warm while reducing bills by an average of £566 per household each year. Furthermore, its programmes are cutting over 12,000 tonnes of carbon annually and have supported 172 jobs and 26 apprenticeships through social value commitments.
These outcomes show a city region placing environmental progress on the same level as economic growth, and it’s a strategy akin to our own. The region’s integrated approach to sustainability, social value and procurement provides a model for other city regions seeking measurable impact. We back its delivery, support its ambition, and stand with Greater Manchester as it continues to lead the way in practical, people centred climate action.
The work here also demonstrates how environmental strategies cannot rely on a single national template. At Sureserve, having helped service over 1.6million homes across the UK in 2025, we know first hand that climate action and sustainability investment must be regional, practical and create value for every community.
Our work with local authorities and housing providers to tailor retrofit programmes to local needs exemplifies this at scale. We don’t just install measures, we work with local partners to leave behind skills, confidence and economic value that continue long after a project concludes.
National analysis shows that up to 500,000 additional workers will be needed by 2030 to meet retrofit demand, presenting a real opportunity to build a skilled local workforce rooted in Greater Manchester.
We’re proud to constantly create local skills demand, job opportunities and apprenticeships in every region we work in, we support carbon reduction that improves the local environment, we help enhance resident wellbeing by improving comfort, reducing fuel poverty and strengthening health outcomes (in turn creating less pressure on local services), and projects such as our community solar share scheme show how sustainability investment can deliver environmental and social return at the same time.
‘Greater Manchester leading the way’ is not just a slogan. It is happening – local programmes are reducing emissions, cutting energy costs for residents and creating jobs, partnerships are forming, and innovation is scaling.
This Green Summit will be an opportunity to bring together the peers, collaborators and organisations driving that progress. To align collaboration between local government, housing providers, industry and communities, and to accelerate innovation across homes, buildings and local economies.
Together, that collaboration will enable the region to move further and faster, and we at Sureserve are proud to be playing our part.
