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Looming fuel poverty crisis

The Scottish Pensioners’ Forum, the campaigning organisation for older people in Scotland, today hit out at the UK Government over their handling of the looming fuel poverty crisis facing the UK by calling it “hopelessly inadequate.”

Rose Jackson, SPF Chair argued

“The Chancellor’s response to today’s announcement from Ofgem smacks of indifference to the plight of older people. What he is offering in one hand in comparison to what he has taken away with the other with the suspension of the triple lock just isn’t good enough. This must be reinstated.”

“Older and vulnerable people in their thousands have followed the rules and stayed at home for their own safety which means they are already facing increased energy bills amongst other things. An inadequate social security system, coupled with the shameful fact that the UK has one of the lowest state pensions in Europe, shows just how out of touch the UK Government is to the plight of older and vulnerable people and those on low incomes. They should be hanging their heads in shame.”

“Offering people in poverty a repayable loan which they can’t pay back is encouraging a vicious cycle of poor debt management and acts of desperation. This is not the solution to the fuel poverty crisis”

“Fuel poverty is a very real issue for too many and today’s announcement is only set to exacerbate this even further – the UK government must address this as a matter of urgency and not just adopt a sticking plaster mentality in the hope that it will go away.”

February 2022