Children are growing up in homes their parents cannot afford to heat properly and it is affecting their health and education – and, ultimately, their prospects in life. There are deep concerns that children in Wales’ poorest families are being kept awake at night because of the cold and their health and grades are suffering.
Nearly a third of children in Wales live in low-income households. Around 26% of all households in Wales are in fuel poverty.
It is feared that many low-income households are forced to choose between heating their home or providing their children with a nourishing meal. Such children are understood to be more prone to infections, colds and accidents. The disparity in quality of life for people living in deprived parts of Wales and those living in more affluent areas could not be more stark. Men living on one of the nation’s most deprived housing estates can expect to have just 58.8 years of life in good health. The statistics on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil show that suicide rates among out-of-work men are startlingly high.
The article observes there seems to be no solution on the horizon to tackle the problem. Jonathan Edwards, Plaid Cymru MP said: “We are living in a developed country but people aren’t able to heat their homes properly."
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