WORCESTER’S Labour parliamentary candidate has slammed the government’s Green Deal project – calling it an “epic failure”.

Councillor Joy Squires says households across Worcester have missed out since the plug was pulled on a multimillion pound deal to cut energy bills.

As your Worcester News revealed in December, Carillion decided to scrap a seven year deal with Worcester City Council to offer homes better insulation.

The company said the Green Deal, which is part-funded by the government, was proving too complicated and was not working elsewhere in the country.

Last year, energy minister Greg Barker said he would have “sleepness nights” if fewer than 10,000 people around the UK signed up to the Green Deal, but by December, just 700 had.

Coun Squires said: “As well as failing the many small companies that manufacture and install insulation and other energy efficiency measures, the Green Deal has been a total failure for consumers.

“It is bureaucratic, difficult to understand and clearly not trusted as a scheme by the public.”

The project would have led to the construction giant sending assessors into homes to improve their energy efficiency through things like better insulation or replacement boilers.

Residents can take out a long term loan, recouped as money comes off their utility bills.

Worcester MP Robin Walker said: “It’s fair criticism to say the scheme didn’t work as expected, but it hasn’t quite failed in the way Joy and Labour are implying.

“Although very large numbers have been assessed, a lot of people are paying to go ahead with the work without taking out a finance deal."