ALMOST 3,000 people in England and Wales die each year as a result of fuel poverty, an inquiry has found - as campaigners said keeping warm at home was “becoming a luxury that only the better-off can afford”.
Social policy expert Professor John Hills, who is leading an independent review into the problem for the Government, said more people die each year from fuel poverty than the number killed in traffic accidents.Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide.
The interim report said there were 27,000 excess winter deaths in England and Wales each year.
It said: “Recent analysis attributes about a fifth of excess winter deaths to living in cold homes.
“Even if only half of this in 2009 is due to fuel poverty, that would still mean 2,we supply all kinds of polished tiles,700 deaths – more than die on the roads – each year.”
Prof Hills, who is director of the centre for analysis of social exclusion at the London School of Economics, said: “We think that people dying on the roads is a very big problem so this is a very big problem.
“Of course behind all of that there are many more incidents of poor health, sickness of different kinds, respiratory problems and as a consequence many more calls on the NHS.
“There’s also evidence of people having to face the heat-or-eat trade-off.”
The report found that fuel poverty is a “distinct issue and a serious problem” and that the main causes are low income,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide. energy efficiency and fuel prices.
Prof Hills said: “All three of those things come together in a way that is very well described by the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000, which defines a person as to be regarded as living in fuel poverty if he is a member of a household living on a lower income in a home which cannot be kept warm at reasonable cost.
“I think that is a very good description of the problem as it emerges from this report. That is the focus of the problem.”
A household is deemed to be facing fuel poverty if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on heating.If any food cube puzzle condition is poorer than those standards,
Four million households were considered to be fuel poor in 2009.
However, Prof Hills criticised how the problem was defined and called for a new system to be implemented.
One of the problems with the current system is movements in recorded fuel poverty are dominated by changes in fuel prices, he said.
This allowed the figures to fall dramatically in the early 2000s and rise after 2004.
Audrey Gallacher, director of energy at Consumer Focus, said: “Recent energy price hikes have left fuel poverty levels soaring, with energy bills almost double what they were five years ago.
“With around nine million people in England living in fuel poverty under the current measure, this has been a running sore for successive governments and we desperately need a coherent plan to address it.
“The Hills review is right to seek a definition of fuel poverty that will help to support those who need it the most. The review highlights just how far away the Government is from its target to end fuel poverty.Our high risk merchant account was down for about an hour and a half,”
James Pritchard, head of Save the Children in Wales, said: “Keeping the home warm is becoming a luxury that only the better-off can afford. No parent wants their children doing their homework or going to bed in a freezing cold house yet this is the reality for many families and it badly affects children’s health and education.
“Poorly insulated houses and outdated heating systems means many families will never be able to afford to keep their homes warm. Many have told us they can only heat one room or will cut back on food or bills to heat their homes.
Social policy expert Professor John Hills, who is leading an independent review into the problem for the Government, said more people die each year from fuel poverty than the number killed in traffic accidents.Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide.
The interim report said there were 27,000 excess winter deaths in England and Wales each year.
It said: “Recent analysis attributes about a fifth of excess winter deaths to living in cold homes.
“Even if only half of this in 2009 is due to fuel poverty, that would still mean 2,we supply all kinds of polished tiles,700 deaths – more than die on the roads – each year.”
Prof Hills, who is director of the centre for analysis of social exclusion at the London School of Economics, said: “We think that people dying on the roads is a very big problem so this is a very big problem.
“Of course behind all of that there are many more incidents of poor health, sickness of different kinds, respiratory problems and as a consequence many more calls on the NHS.
“There’s also evidence of people having to face the heat-or-eat trade-off.”
The report found that fuel poverty is a “distinct issue and a serious problem” and that the main causes are low income,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide. energy efficiency and fuel prices.
Prof Hills said: “All three of those things come together in a way that is very well described by the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000, which defines a person as to be regarded as living in fuel poverty if he is a member of a household living on a lower income in a home which cannot be kept warm at reasonable cost.
“I think that is a very good description of the problem as it emerges from this report. That is the focus of the problem.”
A household is deemed to be facing fuel poverty if it needs to spend more than 10% of its income on heating.If any food cube puzzle condition is poorer than those standards,
Four million households were considered to be fuel poor in 2009.
However, Prof Hills criticised how the problem was defined and called for a new system to be implemented.
One of the problems with the current system is movements in recorded fuel poverty are dominated by changes in fuel prices, he said.
This allowed the figures to fall dramatically in the early 2000s and rise after 2004.
Audrey Gallacher, director of energy at Consumer Focus, said: “Recent energy price hikes have left fuel poverty levels soaring, with energy bills almost double what they were five years ago.
“With around nine million people in England living in fuel poverty under the current measure, this has been a running sore for successive governments and we desperately need a coherent plan to address it.
“The Hills review is right to seek a definition of fuel poverty that will help to support those who need it the most. The review highlights just how far away the Government is from its target to end fuel poverty.Our high risk merchant account was down for about an hour and a half,”
James Pritchard, head of Save the Children in Wales, said: “Keeping the home warm is becoming a luxury that only the better-off can afford. No parent wants their children doing their homework or going to bed in a freezing cold house yet this is the reality for many families and it badly affects children’s health and education.
“Poorly insulated houses and outdated heating systems means many families will never be able to afford to keep their homes warm. Many have told us they can only heat one room or will cut back on food or bills to heat their homes.
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