NPC- Press release Eastern Region - 30 May 2008
Government offers 'sticking plaster' over problem of fuel poverty
Britain's biggest older people's organisation, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC), has said today's announcement by Government to share personal data to ensure vulnerable households are placed on social tariffs for fuel bills offers little more than a "sticking plaster" over the national scandal of fuel poverty and winter deaths amongst the country's older population.
Dot Gibson, NPC vice president said: "Today's announcement will have very little effect on helping older people suffering from fuel poverty. Around 2.4m pensioner households are spending more than 10% of their income on fuel bills, and what they need is greater assistance in paying those bills. But the government refuses to introduce a standard social tariff across the industry, so some social tariff customers are paying more than if they were on an ordinary payment scheme. This still leaves the whole social tariff programme as something of a lottery."
"In the Budget, the chancellor said he would increase the winter fuel allowance for pensioners - but only for one year. This will mean that by 2009, millions of older people will be worse off, facing even higher bills than before and having to make the unenviable choice between whether they can eat or heat."
"For every 1% increase in bills, a further 40,000 older people fall into fuel poverty and every year, well over 20,000 die from the cold. It's time the government intervened to prevent the energy companies making profits at the expense of vulnerable pensioners."
