Temperatures in Britain are expected to drop below freezing night as autumn turns to winter, with forecasters predicting that a cold spell could last for several weeks.
Health of low-income households at risk as funding cuts slash support for replacing and repairing boilers, pressure group warns. No gas boilers have been repaired since April under a government scheme intended to combat fuel poverty, as a result of spending cuts that risk leaving poorer Britons unprotected from the cold at home, according to a fuel poverty pressure group, National Energy Action (NEA). Consumers fund the energy company obligation (ECO) through their energy bills, but its annual budget has been cut from £800m to £640m as part of government attempts to reduce bills.
Peter Smith, NEA’s director of policy, said: “This leaves thousands of people with existing medical conditions facing a winter without any effective space heating or hot water.” The charity estimated that over the past four years more than £5bn of public money has been spent treating health problems caused by cold homes.
The lack of support for repairing and replacing boilers has been raised several times in parliament recently, but NEA accused the government of failing to recognise the severity of the problem. NEA said its research showed engineers and local authorities were making daily contact with people who had had their gas appliances condemned but could not afford to fix them because of a lack of official support.
Chris Bielby, the chair of the charity Gas Safety Trust, which aims to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, shares the NEA’s concerns. “We know the tragic and fatal consequences of not being able to afford to service, repair or replace unsafe gas heating appliances, particularly for the most vulnerable in our society. It can put households or nearby neighbours at risk as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning or potentially, in extreme circumstances, cause fires or gas explosions.”
Health of low-income households at risk as funding cuts slash support for replacing and repairing boilers, pressure group warns. No gas boilers have been repaired since April under a government scheme intended to combat fuel poverty, as a result of spending cuts that risk leaving poorer Britons unprotected from the cold at home, according to a fuel poverty pressure group, National Energy Action (NEA). Consumers fund the energy company obligation (ECO) through their energy bills, but its annual budget has been cut from £800m to £640m as part of government attempts to reduce bills.
Peter Smith, NEA’s director of policy, said: “This leaves thousands of people with existing medical conditions facing a winter without any effective space heating or hot water.” The charity estimated that over the past four years more than £5bn of public money has been spent treating health problems caused by cold homes.
The lack of support for repairing and replacing boilers has been raised several times in parliament recently, but NEA accused the government of failing to recognise the severity of the problem. NEA said its research showed engineers and local authorities were making daily contact with people who had had their gas appliances condemned but could not afford to fix them because of a lack of official support.
Chris Bielby, the chair of the charity Gas Safety Trust, which aims to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, shares the NEA’s concerns. “We know the tragic and fatal consequences of not being able to afford to service, repair or replace unsafe gas heating appliances, particularly for the most vulnerable in our society. It can put households or nearby neighbours at risk as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning or potentially, in extreme circumstances, cause fires or gas explosions.”
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