New independent review has found that fuel poverty is set to get worse.
The Hills Review, commissioned by the Government has found that fuel poverty is set to increase in the UK by 2016, the year in which the Government has a target to eliminate it. It concludes that energy efficiency is the most effective way to tackle fuel poverty.
The Hills Review also examines the definition of fuel poverty and recommends how it can be changed to only capture those households who both have high energy bills and live below the poverty line. A change in definition in this way would reduce the number of households defined as being in fuel poverty.
Ed Matthew, Director of Transform UK and coordinator of the Energy Bill Revolution campaign said:
“Changing the definition of fuel poverty is fraught with risk. There is a danger that despite the best of intentions it will let the Government off the hook by reducing the number of households in fuel poverty over-night. The chief response to runaway fuel poverty should not be to change the definition, it should be to increase resources to make homes far more energy efficient to eliminate the crisis.”
The Hills Review finds that under the Governments’ current definition over 8 million households in England could be in fuel poverty by 2016 if gas prices increase as the Government expects. This is consistent with the findings of the Energy Bill Revolution Report which found that for the whole of the UK fuel poverty could affect over 9 million households by 2016.
Ed Matthew continued:
“The Hills Review shows that the Governments’ policies to tackle fuel poverty are set to fail. A bold new approach is needed. We call on the Government to use carbon tax revenue to eliminate fuel poverty once and for all. It is the only permanent solution.”
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