Government Announces Fuel Poverty Plan

The government has unveiled a range of measures it hopes will help reduce the effects of fuel poverty.

Among the plans are proposals to allow energy providers to share data to allow them and the government to liaise on vulnerable people and bills. Individuals claiming Warm Front grants will be referred under a pilot scheme to suppliers to ensure they get the most appropriate tariffs, while funding will be diverted to Ofgem and the Citizens Advice Bureau's awareness campaign.

Energy minister Malcolm Wicks said that energy providers have committed to raising investment to £150 million a year by 2011. "Now we're working on finding ways to get them the right information to enable them to get that money to those who need it the most," he added.

"That's what's most important right now - making sure the most vulnerable, the elderly, the disabled and young families aren't cold in their own homes because they can't pay their bills."

Some 2.5 million households are classed by the government as being in fuel poverty, where more than ten per cent of income is spent on energy, with elderly people one of the most vulnerable groups.

Help the Aged's head of public affairs Kate Jopling said it was "unacceptable" that older people should be forced to choose between fuel and other basics such as food.

"This latest plan merely scratches the surface and is not the policy change that will deliver a turnaround in the growing levels of fuel poverty," she said.