Fuel Poverty

9th December 2007

Cllr Little said, "This conference is important and needs to lead to urgent action. More than 160,000 households in Yorkshire and the Humber are currently suffering from fuel poverty, with a further 120,000 households at risk. That means that more than 7% of households in the region are spending more than 10% of their income on fuel."

These are alarming figures. Fuel prices will go up and up as demand for the limited supply of oil and gas rises exceeds supply. We need to make sure that there is a government-backed programme to drastically reduce the energy needs of existing homes as a priority. If Germany has a programme to do this then why can't the UK?. The message is clear - affordable homes cannot be built unless they meet high environmental standards that will mean that people on lower incomes can afford to live in them."

Affordable Warmth Conference

The Assembly is currently arranging an Affordable Warmth conference on Wednesday 12 December at Sheffield City Hall. The conference, "Keeping the local / regional dialogue strong", aims to promote local to regional dialogue, allow delegates to learn from practice, launch the regional evidence base and improve integrated working in the region.

Key decision makers and local practitioners will get the opportunity to meet and discuss progress made against the Regional Affordable Warmth Action Plan, which was launched in September 2006, as well as addressing barriers to delivery and finding new ways to achieve the targets set within the Action Plan and the Regional Housing Strategy.

The conference will also launch the Regional Evidence Report, which is a robust and comprehensive affordable warmth evidence base. The information is being brought together to create information that will provide a baseline to enable the region to monitor its performance in tackling fuel poverty and also to aid the targeting of resources.

The Regional Report, which is bringing together the range of data available in the region, plus mini sub-regional reports are currently in development.
Yorkshire Futures is leading on this work, which will also lead to better
intelligence on affordable warmth in future versions of Progress in the
Region.

If you would like to know more about the event or the Regional Report, contact Fay McCulloch on 01924 331586;

email fay.mcculloch@yhassembly.gov.uk

ENDS

For more information, contact Kathy Aston , Press Officer;

Work: (0114) 222 1795
Home: (0114) 231 1548