Jon Trickett MP: Striving to tackle fuel poverty
On February 12 I hosted a debate in Parliament on the issue of fuel poverty in England. This is a matter of great importance to people across Normanton and Hemsworth but I do not believe enough is being done about it.
Jon Trickett MP writes: The government inherited a very difficult situation, especially with regard to energy and fuel poverty. With energy prices rising, poorly insulated homes and out of date heating systems, 17 per cent of families in our area are in fuel poverty. In the Fitzwilliam and Kinsley ward, where miners once provided the heat for our country, one in four households are now living in fuel poverty.
This, and the hundreds of heartbreaking emails I received about the government’s decision to cut winter fuel payment made me feel a duty to those I represent to speak out on this issue.
I understand the difficult circumstances people are facing this winter. I grew up in a property that was later condemned as a slum and demolished. I remember my brother and I living in that unheated house – there was no heating at all apart from one coal fire. In winter, it was perishing, and it has left me with an enduring feeling that people living in the conditions that I saw should be better supported.
We’re supposed to be the sixth wealthiest country in the world. It should shame us all that with such riches in our society there are people going cold on bitter winter nights. It was therefore a welcome and important step that the government announced their fuel poverty strategy review last week.
However, 8.9 million households in England are fuel poor. The impact of these factors on people’s health cannot be under-estimated. Between ten per cent and 20 per cent of all excess winter deaths in England are caused by unheated or cold houses. It also has an impact on mental health with one in four children living in a cold home suffering from mental health problems.
There are two compounding aspects to the current fuel poverty crisis.
Firstly, the prices that energy companies charge are driven by profits and greed. The biggest 20 energy suppliers made £483 billion in profits between the start of the energy crisis in 2020 to 2024. It is no wonder as energy prices increased by 27 per cent between 2022 and 2023 in real terms pushing around 238,000 households into fuel poverty.
Secondly, our poor quality of housing, especially in the private rented sector, means that over 40 per cent of all residences – houses and flats – in Britain do not meet the government’s minimum standards.
Past government schemes have failed to tackle fuel poverty sufficiently. In England, the percentage of existing dwellings with “average” or above wall insulation has only slightly increased since 2012. Nearly half of all homes are still below the government’s target of Grade C for energy efficiency. The existing government schemes such as the energy company obligation and warm homes discount are not hitting their targets.
I am calling for a bold plan from the government to tackle fuel poverty. As bills look set to rise again in the coming months, we urgently need to cap prices, insulate homes and provide more support to families struggling to pay bills.