2024-01-24T09:44:28+00:00
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/ The End Fuel Poverty Coalition in Britain revealed in a report that nearly 5,000 people died in the United Kingdom last winter due to living in cold and damp homes, as they were unable to afford the increasing energy costs.
The coalition warned that the rise in deaths underscores the need to improve the UK’s housing stock and implement measures to reduce energy bills, according to the Russian website “RT Arabic”.
The End Fuel Poverty coalition includes Greenpeace, WWF, Green Alliance, Save the Children and others.
Meanwhile, a study by the Warm This Winter campaign has revealed that deaths rise in winter when temperatures in the UK drop below four degrees Celsius.
Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty coalition, said around 8.3 million adults in the UK live in poorly insulated, cold and damp homes, and as temperatures drop, conditions go from uncomfortable to “outright dangerous”.
“While households struggle, ministers are sitting on their hands and leaving matters of life and death to chance,” he told Euronews. “Instead of taking action on energy bills, they have allowed energy companies to resume using the courts to force households to use prepaid meters, and have now ruled out reforming energy tariffs to help those most in need.”
Meanwhile, with energy bills expected to remain well above pre-pandemic levels this year and beyond, these health risks are expected to persist this winter after a series of cold snaps, experts warn.
The coalition criticised the UK government for not taking “meaningful” action to help households struggling with high energy bills. Experts said officials were “preferring to play politics with an oil and gas licensing bill that will do nothing to improve energy security or reduce bills”.
The coalition’s report also criticised the UK government for refusing to introduce a “help to pay” scheme for those with energy debt, as well as for its unwillingness to implement a proposed emergency energy tariff aimed at reducing energy bills for vulnerable households.