JUST ten householders will benefit from cash to improve renewable energy in their Ribble Valley homes.

This comes as the council revealed that more than half of the properties in the Ribble Valley have no gas supply and are dependent on oil or coal, to heat their homes.

However, council chiefs at Ribble Valley Borough Council have only offered ten homes the chance to apply for a share of £15,000 to install solar heating panels and domestic wind turbines.

A further £10,000 is up for grabs for loft and wall insulation.

Allan Knox, a Liberal Democrats Councillor in the Primrose area said “this is simply not enough.”

He said: “It is a good first step but a lot more needs to be done.

“They need to look at other sources of funding and work with organisations like the Energy Saving Trust and The Carbon Trust to ensure that more households are being offered help.”

Coun Knox stated that residents needed to be educated about different ways of heating their homes.

He said: “I am aware that we are in tough financial times but in the grand scheme of things ten households is a very small number.

“This needs to be a priority as people could save a lot of money by improving their energy supplies.”

Grants of up to £1,500 are available to ten households that do not have a gas supply, are in the council tax bands A to F and have loft and cavity wall insulation.

Stuart Hirst, chairman of Ribble Valley Borough Council’s health and housing committee said: “The council manages the renewable energy grants on behalf of the Government.

“We accept that a lot more needs to be done, but we see these grants as an encouraging start, which we hope will expand in due course, depending on the priority given to green energy by the Government.

“The environment is one of Ribble Valley’s most defining characteristics and the council is committed to protecting and enhancing it wherever possible.”