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There was widespread agreement that simplification of the benefits system was needed to help people access their entitlements. Speaking at the Conservative party fringe meeting, Fran Taggart, Director of Citizens Advice Wales said that the current benefits system needed to be changed to help “those who are most in need”.  The complexity of the current system has left the most vulnerable finding it hard to claim their entitlements through difficult and length forms.  Dr Dai Lloyd AM, at the Plaid Cymru Spring Conference in Cardiff, called for pensions credit to be paid automatically as only half of those eligible receive them.

Jane Davidson criticised energy firms’ actions towards their customers during the recession.  Falling wholesale energy prices had not been similarly reflected in retail energy suppliers pricing, which remained high.  She said that “we are not getting enough money back from companies and their profits have virtually doubled in recent months”. For example, British Gas increased its residential profits by 58% earlier this year, whilst reducing household bills by only 7% at the end of winter. Increasing energy prices has led to more people seeking advice concerning fuel debt, with CAB Wales reporting enquiries have risen to 32% by December 2009, second only to issues concerning bailiffs. One of the ways householders manage their energy bills is through pre-payment meters, and Nuria Zolle for NEA Cymru said “their use in Wales is higher than elsewhere” and “it is a good way to budget.  What is more, risk-averse poor households don’t want to risk switching”.

There was widespread criticism of energy suppliers by Assembly Members at the fringe meetings, Dr Dai Lloyd said “the sheer complexity of the system is one the major reasons why people are put off from switching” even though “they could save substantial amounts of money”. Jane Davidson AM saw little benefit in sticking with an original supplier for the area saying that “I doubt it is a good decision to be a loyal consumer”. Citizens Advice called on Ofgem to be more effective in managing the market to ensure tariffs offered by the energy suppliers were transparent and offered customers a fair deal, especially those who only use cash and are unable to access either a bank account or the internet.

Mark Isherwood AM, at the Conservative Party conference in Llandudno, said that the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme “only ticks one of the many boxes”. He called for more co-ordination between government departments and greater integration with local government to drive forward a duty to help tackle fuel poverty. He was concerned that the review of proposed strategy would duplicate the work conducted by the voluntary and private sector which could consequently be lost within the proposed central advice and support hub.  Moreover, he was concerned that the review of HEES could reduce the number of people helped received by 80%.

Citizens Advice offered a pessimistic, but widely held view, that “we don’t think…that the [fuel poverty] target will be hit” and that “the situation from our perspective is getting worse” as fuel prices were increasing in the short and long term.  With the establishment of the Arbed energy efficiency programme, Jane Davidson AM said that assistance would be more focused on strategic regeneration areas in Wales, through central funding from the Welsh Assembly Government.  The funding would be matched with the energy firm funding who have begun to target some their investments to focus on the fuel poverty agenda, as Nuria Zolle from NEA Cymru, stated “the energy company’s energy efficiency schemes could be better targeted to assist low income consumers in private homes”.

There is clear political support to tackle Fuel poverty in Wales and the messages from the Fuel Poverty coalition have been listened too. With slipping targets and high energy prices, the governments much anticipated publication of its revised fuel poverty strategy by July, will have an important influence on future of the agenda in Wales.

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.