FUEL POVERTY INITIATIVE WILL ONLY SCRATCH THE SURFACE, SAYS HELP THE AGED

11th April, 2008

Responding to the announcement of a deal between the Government and energy providers to help households with fuel bills, Kate Jopling, Head of Public Affairs at Help the Aged, says:

“While it is promising that the Government and energy providers are working together to try to alleviate fuel poverty, this initiative will only just begin to scratch the surface. We cannot ignore the fact that fuel poverty is actually increasing and nearly three million households in England are struggling to heat their homes. 

“The Government cannot shirk its own responsibility to tackle this serious and growing problem. It must stop relying on ‘quick wins’ to resolve a long-term problem.  It must develop a far more effective and comprehensive programme of domestic energy efficiency, to simultaneously end suffering from fuel poverty and tackle climate change.

“Help the Aged has joined forces with Friends of the Earth to launch a legal challenge to the Government to ensure it is held to its legal obligation to eradicate fuel poverty by 2016.”