Almost 7, 000 private sector households in fuel poverty (York Liberal Democrats)

York Liberal Democrats <info@yorklibdems.org.uk>

Almost 7, 000 private sector households in fuel poverty

November 10, 2008 12:00 AM

Figures highlighted today by the Liberal Democrats in York show that 6,878 households living in the private sector in York are living in fuel poverty. The figures show that over a quarter - 27.4 per cent - of single parent families in the private sector are living in fuel poverty.

Fishergate and Guildhall wards are amongst the worst affected, with 27.3 per cent of Fishergate households and 19.8 per cent of Guildhall households living in fuel poverty, compared to a city average of 8.2 per cent. These figures are taken from the recently published Private Sector House Condition Survey commissioned by the City Council and completed earlier this year.

2003 figures, the most recent available, show that around 4,600 (or 6%) of households across all tenures were living in fuel poverty. The worst affected wards were Westfield, Micklegate, Clifton, Huntington and New Earswick, Holgate and Heworth, with over 300 households in each living in fuel poverty.

Cllr Sue Galloway, Liberal Democrat Executive Member for Housing and Adult Social Services, is calling on the Government to produce more up to date figures. She said, "If the Government produced more accurate figures for local areas, it would help everyone concerned to target resources to help those age groups and socio-economic groups worst affected by fuel poverty."

"One automatically thinks of pensioners as people affected by fuel poverty, but these figures show that the number of single parent families experiencing fuel poverty is almost double the number of elderly people living in fuel poverty. It is very disappointing that the Government is so far off meeting its commitment to eradicate fuel poverty in England among the most vulnerable, including pensioners, people with disabilities and long term illnesses, by 2010."