Wednesday 28 September 2011

UK Governments fail those in fuel poverty, says report

An annual report has shown fuel poverty across the UK has increased despite efforts by governments to reduce it. The Fuel Poverty Monitor identifies difficulties faced by vulnerable households in the individual countries and calls on the need for Government to provide a more concise and effective plan to tackle the problem.

Energy price rises this month mean that more than one in five of all UK households currently lives in fuel poverty. New energy policies are expected to add to consumers bills in order to pay for the transition to renewable technologies.

Elizabeth Gore, Deputy Director at Energy Action Scotland said Government had to have a re-think: "With almost 6.5 million UK households in fuel poverty and energy prices continuing to rise, we need to ensure that policies prioritise the needs of low-income and vulnerable households to ensure that they are not left behind in the UK's progression towards a low-carbon future.'"

Fuel poverty by nation - numbers and % of households:

England- 3,964,000 (18.4%)

Scotland- 770,000 (32.7%)

Wales 332,000 (26.0%)

Northern Ireland 302,000 (43.7%

The Fuel Poverty Monitor is written by leading fuel poverty charities National Energy Action and Energy Action Scotland with support from not-for-profit energy company Ebico.