Shock as fuel poverty hits over 40,000 in Oldham Borough.

5.01.00pm GMT Tue 5th Feb 2008

Following recent price rises by energy companies, fuel poverty could now be hitting 43,920 people in the Oldham Borough area, according to Save The Children and the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group.*

Fuel poverty occurs when a household has to spend more than 10% of household income on heating.

Elwyn Watkins, Parliamentary Spokesperson for Oldham East & Saddleworth, said, "This is a problem that often affects the most vulnerable in our community. I shudder to think how many people are having to worry about whether they can afford to turn their heating on in the current cold weather. This has been described as a situation where some pensioners have to decide whether they 'heat or eat'".

"This outrage is not restricted to low-income urban areas - the government's own report shows that the many vulnerable people in the Saddleworth villages face these problems. In fact rural households are 50% more likely to live in fuel poverty than those in urban areas."

DEFRA Minister of State with responsibility for fuel poverty - and local MP - Phil Woolas has claimed that "Energy suppliers are part of the solution." He has also admitted that the one in five figure sounded about right and said that if people weren't getting the help they needed then "the system was failing."

Elwyn Watkins said, "I can assure Mr Woolas that the system is indeed failing - not least because Labour are cutting the Warm Front scheme, which provides insulation and heating improvements for the vulnerable, by 25% over the next three years."

"Furthermore, energy suppliers are making record profits at the moment and we have seen most of the power companies increase prices by as much as 15% in the last couple of weeks. Is Mr Woolas completely out of touch?"

Government targets of eradicating fuel poverty in vulnerable households by 2010 would be missed, according to Peter Lehman, Chairman of the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group.