Update: 13th January 2010, in an article for Waleshome.org, Gareth Price, a member of the Coaltion asks whether in these difficult times, we can afford to eradicate fuel poverty.
The period 2008-2009, witnessed a 74% increase in excess winter deaths in Wales from 1,440 in the previous year to 2500 people and the highest since 1999/2000. This increase in winter death directly corresponds with a decrease in winter temperatures in 2008-2009. Worryingly, the data shows that 80% of all winters deaths are for people aged 75 and above, with the highest rates of deaths relate to people aged 85 and over. The data shows that during death rates for people aged 85 and over increased to 152 per 1,000 deaths in Wales compared to 1.2 per 1000 deaths for people aged between 0-64. In total Winters deaths in 2008/2009, were provisionally 26% higher than the average non-winter deaths.
Update: The Welsh Assembly Government has opened up its draft Fuel Poverty Strategy to Public Consultation until 4th January 2010. The Fuel Poverty Coalition has written a detailed consultation response to the 9 key issues to emerge from the draft report. We hope that you will consider putting in your own response, endorsing our comments or include issues you do not feel are contained within the draft strategy. All responses should be sent to the Welsh Assembly Government at: neespteam@wales.gsi.gov.uk.
Update: 10th December 2009, a Ministerial response from David Kidney MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department of Energy and Climate Change, on the Fuel Poverty Charter in Wales.
Update: 9th December 2009, Click here for a Gallery of AM’s pledging their support to the Fuel Poverty Charter in Wales at the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff.
Update: 4th December, Ofgem response to the Fuel Poverty Charter.
Update: 26th November 2009, Jenny Willott MP submits an Early Day Motion (EDM 260) in Parliament concerning Fuel Poverty in Wales.
Update: 10th November 2009, a response to the Welsh Fuel Poverty Charter is issued by Jane Davidson AM, Welsh Assembly Government Minster for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing for the Welsh Assembly Government. The Minster welcomes the aims of the charter and sets out the measures of a newly published draft Fuel Poverty Strategy by the Welsh Assembly Government.
Update: 15th July 2009, Jane Davidson AM, the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing issued a statement confirming that she would go back out to consultation on a revised fuel poverty strategy before publishing a final version. We are expecting the launch of the draft strategy for consultation in the autumn. The coalition partners welcome this approach, which we feel provides an opportunity to see how the Assembly Government aims to tackle fuel poverty in Wales in a more coherent separate document and hope that the concerns highlighted by individual organisations have been addressed in this revised document. We hope the development of a fuel poverty charter will help provide a focus around some of the key areas that should be a priority for a new fuel poverty strategy.
Update: March 2009, The Welsh Assembly Government launched their draft National Energy Efficiency and Savings plan, incorporating proposals to update the Assembly Government’s work on fuel poverty. The aim was that these proposals would feed into a new fuel poverty strategy. NEA Cymru, Consumer Focus Wales and a number of other key stakeholders were concerned that in their current form the proposals in the National Energy Efficiency and Savings plan around fuel poverty were not adequate. In particular we wanted to see more detail and were concerned that proposed approach to fuel poverty was not co-ordinated or sufficiently clear.
Fuel Poverty news and updates
Update: 13th January 2010, today in the Senedd, the Assembly debated issues concerning Fuel Poverty and Energy Conservation, with Mark Isherwood AM (Con) tabling a debate concerning the Fuel Poverty Charter in Wales. The member for North Wales, in conjunction with the Fuel Poverty coalition and Assembly Members, called on ‘the National Assembly for Wales supports the fuel poverty charter and calls on the Welsh Assembly Government to incorporate the policy aims of the charter in its forthcoming fuel poverty strategy’.
Update: 13th January 2010, in an article for Waleshome.org, Gareth Price, a member of the Coaltion asks whether in these difficult times, we can afford to eradicate fuel poverty.
Update: 12th January 2010, The Welsh Assembly Government has published ONS research data concerning excess winter deaths in Wales. The statistics include data for England and Wales for the winter period 2008/2009, based upon statistics released by the on 24th November 2009.
The period 2008-2009, witnessed a 74% increase in excess winter deaths in Wales from 1,440 in the previous year to 2500 people and the highest since 1999/2000. This increase in winter death directly corresponds with a decrease in winter temperatures in 2008-2009. Worryingly, the data shows that 80% of all winters deaths are for people aged 75 and above, with the highest rates of deaths relate to people aged 85 and over. The data shows that during death rates for people aged 85 and over increased to 152 per 1,000 deaths in Wales compared to 1.2 per 1000 deaths for people aged between 0-64. In total Winters deaths in 2008/2009, were provisionally 26% higher than the average non-winter deaths.
Update: 4th January 2010, response to the Fuel Poverty Chartyer by the WLGA.
Update: The Welsh Assembly Government has opened up its draft Fuel Poverty Strategy to Public Consultation until 4th January 2010. The Fuel Poverty Coalition has written a detailed consultation response to the 9 key issues to emerge from the draft report. We hope that you will consider putting in your own response, endorsing our comments or include issues you do not feel are contained within the draft strategy. All responses should be sent to the Welsh Assembly Government at: neespteam@wales.gsi.gov.uk.
Update: 10th December 2009, a Ministerial response from David Kidney MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Department of Energy and Climate Change, on the Fuel Poverty Charter in Wales.
Update: 9th December 2009, Click here for a Gallery of AM’s pledging their support to the Fuel Poverty Charter in Wales at the Welsh Assembly Government in Cardiff.
Update: 4th December, Ofgem response to the Fuel Poverty Charter.
Update: 26th November 2009, Jenny Willott MP submits an Early Day Motion (EDM 260) in Parliament concerning Fuel Poverty in Wales.
Update: 10th November 2009, a response to the Welsh Fuel Poverty Charter is issued by Jane Davidson AM, Welsh Assembly Government Minster for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing for the Welsh Assembly Government. The Minster welcomes the aims of the charter and sets out the measures of a newly published draft Fuel Poverty Strategy by the Welsh Assembly Government.
Update: 20th October 2009, The Fuel Poverty Charter: A turning point in the fight against fuel poverty in Wales is published by NEA Cymru, Consumer Focus Wales and a number of other key stakeholders.
Update: 15th July 2009, Jane Davidson AM, the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing issued a statement confirming that she would go back out to consultation on a revised fuel poverty strategy before publishing a final version. We are expecting the launch of the draft strategy for consultation in the autumn. The coalition partners welcome this approach, which we feel provides an opportunity to see how the Assembly Government aims to tackle fuel poverty in Wales in a more coherent separate document and hope that the concerns highlighted by individual organisations have been addressed in this revised document. We hope the development of a fuel poverty charter will help provide a focus around some of the key areas that should be a priority for a new fuel poverty strategy.
Update: March 2009, The Welsh Assembly Government launched their draft National Energy Efficiency and Savings plan, incorporating proposals to update the Assembly Government’s work on fuel poverty. The aim was that these proposals would feed into a new fuel poverty strategy. NEA Cymru, Consumer Focus Wales and a number of other key stakeholders were concerned that in their current form the proposals in the National Energy Efficiency and Savings plan around fuel poverty were not adequate. In particular we wanted to see more detail and were concerned that proposed approach to fuel poverty was not co-ordinated or sufficiently clear.