Originally published at: https://therestartproject.org/repair-economy/first-uk-repair-voucher-pilot-launched/
We could not be more excited to announce that the UK’s first ever Repair Vouchers are now available!
In partnership with North London Waste Authority, ReLondon and FixFirst, we’re offering residents of the North London boroughs (Haringey, Hornsey, Waltham Forest, Islington, Camden, Barnet and Enfield) up to 50% off the cost of repairs at participating local businesses.
Why Repair Vouchers?
The cost of professional repair is one of the biggest barriers to getting things fixed. In fact, more than half of Brits who say they would not repair their device if it became necessary cite cost as one of the reasons (Restart, 2020).
There are lots of reasons for this; products aren’t usually designed to be fixed, spare parts can be hard to find and so on. That’s why we’re calling for a universal Right to Repair.
But repair vouchers can be a great way to make professional repair more affordable while also supporting local repair businesses. That helps us all reduce waste and save money by not having to buy new.
Repair Voucher schemes have already proved successful in other European countries, including Austria, France and Germany. Now it’s the UK’s turn!
Our pilot programme
Last week, we gathered at Neil Electrics, a family-owned shop and repair business in Haringey to launch our small repair voucher trial scheme that will run to September. And we’re thrilled that over three hundred people have already applied for a voucher to fix a huge range of items, from lamps to laptops.
Photo: North London Waste Authority
While the trial programme only covers North London, it marks an exciting development that we hope will make the case for similar schemes across the country.
It’s one of the policy asks in our widely supported Repair and Reuse Declaration, and we know from polling in 2023 that 79% of the UK public support a government repair voucher scheme (Restart, 2023).
So over the next six months, we’ll monitor how the scheme is working and see what it can teach us about how to make repair more affordable and accessible to more people.
Take part
If you’d like a Repair Voucher or are interested in joining the scheme as a repair business, simply visit the website to apply.
Featured photo: North London Waste Authority