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London mayor Boris Johnson today announced the launch of a new retrofitting academy for the capital. Speaking at the first day of the Ecobuild exhibition Johnson said this would meet the need for skills to tackle upgrading existing properties.

Johnson said creating new jobs for retrofitting was absolutely crucial during the current "difficult economic period". He said he had become "obsessed" with the "massive scope" of both reducing carbon emissions from the existing and "saving people money".

"There is a massive pent-up demand for retrofitting," he said, adding that there had been a lack of political co-ordination in the past to tackle the problem effectively.

Johnson also announced the setting up of a new tunnelling academy to meet the need for major infrastucture work in the future years. The retrofitting academy will be delivered by the London Development Agency whilst the tunnelling academy will be drive by Transport for London he said.