NEA: Imminent budget offers real opportunity to help eradicate fuel poverty
Thursday, 16 April 2009
12:00 AM
Next week's Budget must provide vital funds to help eradicate fuel poverty and in doing so can stimulate the country's recession-hit economy, according to national fuel poverty charity National Energy Action (NEA).
NEA chief executive Jenny Saunders said: "A genuine 'green economy' budget should have tackling fuel poverty by improving domestic energy efficiency at its heart.
"The Government has a legal duty to eradicate fuel poverty by 2016, and this budget represents a great opportunity to help it achieve this target and stimulate the economy."
Fuel Poverty, where more than ten per cent of income is spent on heating and powering homes, affects more than five million households across the country and the number is growing due to poor home insulation and increased energy bills.
NEA has written to Chancellor Alistair Darling, recommending that he should allocate at least £5 billion per year to a new single Energy Efficiency Fund aimed at improving heating and insulation standards in properties occupied by low-income households.
The charity also wants to see funding for the government's flagship fuel poverty scheme, Warm Front, raised to £525 million with an increase in the grant level to allow installation of new low carbon technologies and super insulation. The work involved in fitting these measures would create jobs and give the economy a boost.
NEA also urges the Government to commit to legislation to force energy companies to offer mandatory social tariffs - allowing poorer households access to cheaper energy.
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More than two million households are still struggling to pay to keep their homes heated, new government figures show.
An attempt to force the government to accelerate its efforts against fuel poverty fell just 11 votes short of success in the Commons today.
Up to 100,000 households could be lifted out of fuel poverty after the government persuaded the UK's six largest energy suppliers to increase the amount they spend on social programmes.
A government scheme to aid those in fuel poverty is not fit for purpose, leading charities have claimed today.
Government ministers and EU and industry representatives have attended a summit designed to life consumers out of energy poverty.
Higher energy prices coupled with rising unemployment could push hundreds of thousands more homes into fuel poverty, a group of influential government advisors has said.
Most single pensioners and lone-parent families are affected by fuel poverty, a report has claimed.
An advertising campaign is being launched to encourage older people to apply for the government's winter fuel payment scheme - designed to help tackle fuel poverty.
Attempts to keep elderly people warm during the winter need to be rethought because they are not targeting the most needy, a report from the Audit Commission has warned.
A target of ending fuel poverty by 2010 will be missed, government advisers have claimed.
