Support needed for new Bill to help eradicate fuel poverty
Support needed for new Bill to help eradicate fuel poverty
CSE calls for people to help push through new Bill
11 February 2009
The Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE) is asking people to urge their MPs to back a new bill aimed at eradicating fuel poverty when it goes before Parliament in March for its second reading. Unless 100 MPs attend the session, the bill stands no chance of becoming law.
The Fuel Poverty Bill was adopted by David Heath, MP for Somerton and Frome, in the annual ballot for Private Members' Bills. CSE is part of the coalition of organisations behind the Bill.
The Bill aims to ‘fuel poverty-proof' the homes of those living in fuel poverty and bring properties up to the energy efficiency standards enjoyed by modern houses. It also requires social tariffs to be provided for people by energy suppliers whilst their homes are being improved.
The Government is legally committed to eradicating fuel poverty in vulnerable homes by 2010, and in all homes by 2016 wherever practically possible. However, in its latest Fuel Poverty Strategy progress report, the Government admits that it is not going to hit its 2010 target.
According to a recent study carried out by CSE, in association with eaga partnership charitable trust, entitled ‘How Much?', the current government-funded fuel poverty programme, ‘Warm Front', and other energy supplier programmes aimed at low income households do not provide the necessary measures required to meet these targets. Specifically, these programmes do not fund measures for ‘hard to treat' homes. See: www.cse.org.uk/pdf/pub1110.pdf for further information.
Ian Preston, a Senior Analyst for CSE, said: "The Fuel Poverty Bill represents a major opportunity to address this gap in policy by ensuring fuel poor households are provided with the measures and support they require to live in warm healthy homes."
The energy measures in the Bill would ensure that households' energy use is reduced by up to 70 per cent.
The Bill is already supported by MPs from all main parties, as well as being backed by a number of independent groups, including: Consumer Focus, Association for the Conservation of Energy, Age Concern, Help the Aged, Child Poverty Action Group, Disability Alliance, Friends of the Earth, National Right to Fuel Campaign and the Centre for Sustainable Energy.
However, for the Bill to stand any chance of becoming law, it is crucial that at least 100 MPs attend the session when the Fuel Poverty Bill goes before the Houses of Parliament on Friday 20 March.
CSE, along with its coalition partners, are now urging people to do all they can to raise the profile of the Bill by contacting their local MP to urge them to attend on the day and by encouraging their own organisation to join the coalition.
If you would like to contact your local representative, Friends of the Earth have set up a website for this purpose: http://tinyurl.com/fuelpovertybill
For more information on the Fuel Poverty Bill or to discuss specific ways in which you may be able to help further, please contact Nancy Platts at Consumer Focus at nancy.platts@consumerfocus.org.uk or telephone: 020 7799 7989 or Helen Newton at helen.newton@consumerfocus.org.uk or telephone: 020 7799 7941.