MP backs warm homes campaign

WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones is supporting Age UK’s Campaign for Warm Homes.
The campaign is part of Cold Homes Week which runs from February 1-5 – a week of action against cold homes and fuel poverty.
The most up to date figures show that there are more than 3,300 fuel poor households in Warrington North and last winter saw 6,000 excess winter deaths in the region.
The MP said “Shockingly, each winter one older person dies every seven minutes from cold weather.  Many of these deaths could be prevented if everyone lived in a warm home.  The government’s flagship energy efficiency programmes, the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and the now-closed Green Deal have not gone nearly far enough to help older people keep warm in their own homes.
“Energy prices have risen by around 150 per cent over the past 10 years but no effective action has been taken to improve the energy efficiency of our housing stock.
“The government needs to reform its energy efficiency programmes so no older person should have to worry about the cold and everyone should be able to keep warm and well in winter.
“That’s why I am supporting Age UK’s call for the government to,  reform its energy efficiency programmes,  make energy efficiency a national infrastructure priority and commit to bringing 2 million low income homes up to the Energy Performance Certificate Band C by 2020.
“We can tackle this problem if we have the will to do so. I hope this campaign will succeed in raising awareness here in Warrington about the dangers of cold homes and fuel poverty to older people.“