Winter deaths down but still a scandal
18,600 people died of the cold last winter, despite it being one of the warmer winters on record.
Today the ONS published the provisional Excess Winter Death numbers which show how many more people die over the winter compared to the other seasons. The rate of winter deaths is much higher in the UK than many other countries including Sweden which regularly experiences -30oC winters. Many people across Britain will have lost their lives simply because they can’t afford to keep their house warm.
Ed Matthew, Director of the Energy Bill Revolution said: “This welcome drop on the number of winter deaths is mainly due to the fact it was a mild winter last year. But there is no room for complacency. The UK has a higher winter death rate than Scandinavian countries despite the fact they have far colder winters. The reason is that our homes are some of the most poorly insulated in Europe. If we don’t fix our housing stock winter deaths will once again surge after a cold winter. In the Autumn Statement next week the chancellor must make home energy efficiency a UK infrastructure investment priority. This is the best way to put in place the desperately needed investment to end the winter death scandal.”
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