Government failure to end fuel poverty highlighted

The Government has failed to successfully tackle fuel poverty, according to a report from The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.

In a report released yesterday, the committee states:

“More than 5 million UK households experienced fuel poverty last winter. The Government’s statutory target to eradicate fuel poverty, as far as reasonably practicable, in vulnerable households by 2010 (and in all households by 2016) is likely to be missed; highlighting the weakness of a policy which attempts to address fuel affordability issues and domestic energy efficiency simultaneously. The Government should have reviewed its fuel poverty policies earlier given the upward trend in the number of fuel poor and rising fuel prices.”

Research by uSwitch.com shows that fuel poverty can no longer be seen as a ‘pensioner issue’ as its net is spreading wider. While 30% of pensioner households are in fuel poverty, so are 20% of families with one income and 17% of single person working households.

Tom Lyon, energy expert at uSwitch.com, said:

“If this Government is to stand any chance of tackling fuel poverty it has got to get a grip on the issue and it has got to do it now before further energy price rises push yet more households over the top. As the number of households involved mounts, so the Government’s statutory obligation moves further out of reach and the fuel poverty problem begins to look more and more insurmountable.”

“Tackling fuel poverty is a mammoth task, but getting the right building blocks in place to begin with is a good way to start. The Select Committee has set out to do this with its recommendations today. We just hope that the Government does not let this last-chance opportunity slip by.”

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