Heating crisis ‘will cost lives’

Only a massive intervention by ministers will help households, warns charity

CHARITIES warned yesterday that the soaring cost of heating your home will cost lives this winter.

An estimated two-thirds of households – or 45million Britons – could soon be pushed into fuel poverty, when more than 10 per cent of disposable income is spent on energy bills, analysis shows.

The forecast from the University of York came as the charity National Energy Action said the number in this category has already doubled in a year to 8.9million households.

As the nation faces an unprecedented rise in bills, charities and consumer groups warned that only massive government intervention – on the same scale as support during the pandemic – will help Britons to survive.

Adam Scorer, the NEA’s chief executive, said: ‘The scale of harm caused by these

‘Cannot afford to cook food’

price rises needs to sink in. A warm home this winter will be pipedream for millions as they are priced out of a decent and healthy quality of life. Without bold action to support the most vulnerable and those on the lowest incomes, this will effectively prise their fingers from the cliff edge and push them over the precipice.’

He added: ‘ Households need money in their pockets to weather this storm or we are going to see millions in dangerously cold homes, suffering in misery with unimaginable debt and ill health. Even with a mild winter, millions are facing a big freeze. Action is needed now to prevent the bleakest of winters.

‘When we are in winter, we will be looking at people who cannot afford to keep warm, who cannot afford to cook food, who cannot afford to give their children a bath.

It has a real impact of people’s mental and physical well-being. There will be a cost in lives, not just a cost of living crisis.’

Consumer campaigner Martin Lewis described the increases as a catastrophe and also warned lives will be lost. ‘We are in an absolutely horrendous situation and it will get worse in January [when the next rise comes in],’ he said.

Mr Lewis stressed that yesterday’s new price cap only relates to a limit on the amount that energy companies can charge for each unit of gas and electricity – and is not a cap on overall bills. The new cap will mean a typical annual bill of £3,549 for normal use – but some will be paying considerably more. ‘I’ve been accused of catastrophising over this situation,’ he said. ‘Well, the reason I have catastrophised is this is a catastrophe, plain and simple. If we do not get further government intervention... lives will be lost this winter.’

Accusing ministers of failing to respond to warnings, he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the scale of the increase had been widely predicted – and announcements to head off the effects should have already been in place.

Citizens Advice chief executive Dame Clare Moriarty said: ‘Every single day we’re already helping people in the most heart-breaking circumstances, trying to scrape together enough to feed their kids and keep the lights on.

‘This will get far, far worse unless the Government acts.’

Matthew Reed, chief executive of the end-of-life care charity Marie Curie, said: ‘The need to stay warm to keep pain at bay – and power specialist medical equipment – means that energy bills for some terminally ill people will be thousands of pounds higher than the average household.

‘Many won’t be able to afford this. With 30 per cent of excess winter deaths attributable to cold, damp housing, this could cost lives.’

Tom Marsland of the disability equality charity Scope said the

price cap announcement ‘ confirms disabled people’s fears’, adding: ‘We’ve been inundated with calls from disabled people who don’t know which way to turn and feel like they are being punished for using more energy.’

Rocio Concha of consumer group Which? said the ‘ eye- watering increases’ will be unaffordable for households ‘up and down the country’ while Sara Ogilvie, policy director for the Child Poverty Action Group, said yesterday’s announcement ‘will terrify many low-income families’. She continued: ‘We know that families with children spend 30 per cent more on energy bills – yet the Government has completely failed to recognise the extra costs facing households with children.

‘The next prime minister will be on a collision course with reality unless they increase support to reflect the scale of need, and uprate benefits in line with inflation.’