Citizens Advice welcomes measures to tackle fuel poverty

Citizens Advice welcomes the announcement by the Minister for Social Development Alex Attwood that there will be £127 million over the next four years to help those struggling to heat their homes. 

A range of new measures will be put in place over the next four years to help tackle fuel poverty, including the introduction of a pilot boiler replacement scheme, the introduction of legislation to allow for energy brokering to provide some control on the price of household fuel and the introduction of a hardship fund for those who cannot afford heating.

Statistics show that more than 44% of people in Northern Ireland now live in fuel poverty.  Advisers in CAB are seeing an increasing number of people who are struggling to pay their heating bills with some clients forced to go without essentials, such as food, in order to maintain some level of heat in their homes.  This situation is likely to increase further as household budgets continue to experience pressure given increased levels of unemployment, redundancies and reductions in working hours coupled with increases in the cost of living, rising fuel prices and the prospect of a rise in interest rates.

Citizens Advice awaits the detail of these proposals with interest and hopes that these measures will be available to many people who are currently experiencing fuel poverty in their homes.