Clarifying the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy: Consultation

Note: This consultation has now closed. A summary of responses will be published in due course. The following material has been left in place for reference/archive purposes.

The following is the text of a letter dated 18 September 2002 and circulated jointly by Brian Wilson MP (Minister of State for Energy and Industry) and the Rt Hon Michael Meacher MP (Minister for the Environment)

I am writing to seek your views on a proposal to clarify the intentions of the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy.

Last November we published the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy, setting out the approach of the Government and Devolved Administrations in tackling fuel poverty. We are committed to report on progress against the Strategy, programmes detailed in the Strategy and future plans to tackle fuel poverty. The Strategy provides a comprehensive picture of the action which will be taken to tackle the problem of fuel poverty - initially focussing on those households identified as vulnerable and in the slightly longer term the wider population.

The purpose of this consultation is to clarify the Strategy in respect of households other than those in the vulnerable categories. The Strategy identifies a number of issues which need to be tackled to both identify and assist those households. For example, those who are off the gas mains, those who live in hard to treat homes, the healthy adult fuel poor are areas we need to tackle if we are to maintain the momentum in tackling fuel poverty. We are starting to look at these issues and expect to report on progress in the annual report on the Strategy.

The Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act 2000 states that ''It shall be the duty of the appropriate authority to prepare and publish, before the end of the period .... a strategy setting out the authority's policies for ensuring, by means including the taking of measures to ensure the efficient use of energy, that as far as reasonably practicable persons do not live in fuel poverty.'

Following further consideration of the strategy we propose a clarification of paragraph 2.1 of the Strategy in respect of England to read:

The goal of the Government and the Devolved Administrations is to seek an end to the problem of fuel poverty. In particular they will seek an end to the blight of fuel poverty for vulnerable households by 2010. In England the Government will seek an end to fuel poverty for vulnerable households and non-vulnerable households living in social housing as far as reasonably practicable by 2010. Fuel poverty in other households in England will also be tackled once progress has been made on these groups, with a target that as far as reasonably practicable by 22 November 2016 persons in England should not live in fuel poverty.'

Separate targets will be/are being set by the Devolved Administrations in respect of tackling fuel poverty.

We would welcome views on this proposal by Friday 29th November 2002. Please send your responses to Jon Pearce, Fuel Poverty Team, Defra, Zone 6/E14, Ashdown House, 123 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 6DE. e-mail: fuel.poverty@defra.gsi.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

BRIAN WILSON
MICHAEL MEACHER

Responses to consultations are normally made public and a summary document will be issued on the Department website. Where respondents specifically wish their comments to be treated in confidence, this must be clearly stated.