Fit schools, hospitals and new homes with air con, say Lib Dems

Schools, hospitals and all new homes in the UK should be fitted with air conditioning or other air cooling systems, the Liberal Democrats have said.

The party's environment spokesman Tim Farron warned that the country was "woefully unprepared for extreme heat, and families across Britain are paying for the cost of inaction".

It comes as parts of the UK prepare for another heatwave, with amber heat health alerts issued for much of eastern England.

A government spokesperson said: "People's homes must be designed to minimise unwanted heat and developers can choose to install air con in buildings. We're reviewing these rules to ensure they're as effective as possible."

Currently, only a minority of homes in the UK have built-in air conditioning, with one survey - using data from 2023 and 2024 - putting the figure for England at 4.3%, external.

Earlier this year, the Conservatives urged the government to change regulations to make it easier for new homes to be built with air conditioning.

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In a report published earlier this year,, external the UK's independent adviser on tackling climate change, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), estimated that 92% of existing homes would be at risk of overheating by 2050.

Speaking to Matt Chorley on BBC Radio 5 Live, Farron said: "We want to make sure that we're not being hysterical but we're recognising that we have more extreme temperatures, more extreme weather.

"I want the homes that people live in in the future to be ready for that, that we be climate-ready and prepared."

The party said the cost of its policy to developers would be small compared to the overall cost of building a home, and that cooler homes would be more attractive to buyers in the future.

Farron said forms of air cooling systems should be installed without adding "to the climate crisis", pointing to the potential of air source heat pumps.

There have been concerns that while decreasing temperatures indoors, air conditioning units can increase outdoor temperatures.

Michael Whittall, sustainability manager at property developer Fairview New Homes, told news agency PA: "Air conditioning systems work by removing heat from inside buildings and releasing it outdoors.

"When this happens at scale, particularly in dense urban areas, it can contribute to the urban heat island effect – adding to higher outdoor temperatures and increasing heat stress in citie