The overwhelming majority of the population believe the Government should do more to help people through the energy crisis, according to new polling by Omnisis on behalf of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition.
Over 60 charities and organisations, co-ordinated by the Warm Winter campaign, including the National Pensioners’ Convention, have joined forces to write to the new Prime Minister demanding more financial and non-finanical support for the seven million households currently in fuel poverty.
The letter goes on to call for the upweighting of benefits and urgent clarification of energy bills support available from April, a massive programme of energy efficiency measures and the speeding up of moves to cheaper renewable energy.
The campaigners are supported by new research which shows 76 per cent of the population think the Government is not doing enough to support vulnerable households this winter.
Even taking into account the Energy Price Guarantee and the Energy Bills Support Scheme pledged by the Government, 58 per cent of the population believe they will struggle to pay their bills this winter.
The research shows that people in the South West – 68 per cent, Wales – 64 per cent, the East Midlands and the North East, both 63 per cent are the areas where the most people are fighting to make ends meet.
And the situation is getting worse. Over eight in ten people are quite worried about the prospect of bills going up further in April when the current Government support programmes run out.
The quickest, cheapest and simplest way to bring down bills in the medium-term is to embark rapidly on a massive national programme of insulating our homes, schools, hospitals and workplaces.
The existing government schemes do not meet the scale of the crisis. We estimate that a proper insulation scheme could save households an average, around £500 on their bills each year, and such a programme would soon pay for itself.
Rodney Sadd
NPC Supporter
Crowland
