Later life financial hardship charity Independent Age joined a coalition of charities and energy companies including Scope for a report on the deepening fuel poverty crisis.
Independent Age Chief Executive Joanna Elson CBE said:
“Far too often older people in financial hardship are bed bound by the cold, turning in early for the night dressed in hats and scarves in a desperate bid to keep warm through the winter months. It’s clear from this new research we commissioned alongside Scope and other organisations, the fuel poverty crisis is still ongoing and a political intervention is urgently needed.
“The situation is dire, in the UK over one million older households are living in fuel poverty. The people in later life we speak to are making drastic and dangerous cutbacks because they cannot afford their energy bills. They are routinely switching off heating systems for weeks on end, visiting public places to stay warm and cutting down on food so they can pay their energy bills. This is unacceptable.
“In the short-term, they need the UK Government to make changes to the Warm Home Discount. It needs to be extended to at least 2027 and the targeting of the entitlement must be improved. Currently it misses far too many older people on low incomes, including those eligible for Pension Credit that do not receive it. We also want to see the amount increased from £150 to £400, to better reflect the higher cost of bills and lift people out of fuel poverty.
“The energy crisis of the past three years cannot be allowed to happen again. Long-term planning is needed. Targeted bill support would protect people of all ages in financial hardship from future energy price spikes. We urge the UK Government to immediately launch a consultation to explore targeted bill support options with a view of implementing this by 2027 or 2028. Solutions to tackle fuel poverty are available, now is the time for action.”
