Fuel Poverty Still Exists
October 18, 2004 1:55 PM
Councillor Jerry Roodhouse, Liberal Democrat Group Leader on Rugby Borough Council, writes:
"As autumn moves towards winter and cold days start to appear more frequently I am concerned that once again we will see the elderly suffer from fuel poverty. Last winter which was not that particularly severe saw 18,400 extra deaths among pensioners aged 75 and over. If as the weather forecasters are telling us that this winter could be severe with sub zero temperatures and frozen roads will we see this figure increasing?
The Government and even Andy King MP is saying that fuel poverty has been solved and that Labour has made great steps towards ensuring that fuel poverty is a thing of the past. The Charity National Energy Action will reveal this month that there are 700,000 pensioners in England who live without central heating and rely on small electric or gas fires, some of these people are living in our Borough. Age Concern is already trying to help the elderly of this Borough by inviting people in to the Claremont Centre at Clifton Road for hot meals; the centre also gives information and advice.
Help the Aged claims that Britain now has one of the highest rates of winter deaths in Europe, which surprises me when you consider that countries such as Finland have much colder winters and also have fewer deaths. We live in one of the richest countries in the world and the figure given are a disgrace its no way for our older population to die.
Although Labour has offered all pensioners help with fuel bills, costs have and will continue to rise there is now less money in the pot for those households who need to have proper heating. In Scotland free installation of central heating for the elderly was introduced it has been credited with a drop in the death rate over winter, surely we should be calling for equality here as well it can not be beyond the wit of man to resolve this problem. Our MP and his Government should stop tinkering about and seek to consider the Scottish route and invest in resolving the fuel poverty problem."
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