Greens appalled by report revealing fuel poverty kills more people than road accidents

20 October 2011


The Green Party is deeply appalled by yesterday’s report revealing that more people die each year in the UK from fuel poverty than from road accidents.  

The government-commissioned report found that over 2,700 people die every winter from not being able to heat their homes due to rising energy costs (1).  

Cllr. Andrew Cooper, Green Party energy spokesperson, said "It should be a basic human right to be able to live in a warm home with affordable fuel bills. Those excess winter deaths due to cold homes are the equivalent of 7 fully laden jumbo jets crashing each year." 

The report comes after it was revealed that the Big Six energy companies earned over £30billion in profits over the last five years (2).  

“These vast profits from increased fossil fuel prices should be used to help those in fuel poverty,” said Penny Kemp, Green Party environment spokesperson. “By investing in energy efficiency and a renewable programme, we have the ability to create thousands of jobs as well as ensure that the UK is responsible for its own energy production.   

“Energy security will become increasingly important as fossil fuels diminish.  Investing in a low carbon future is a win-win situation, not just for us but for future generations as well.” 

Caroline Lucas MP, Green Co- chair of All-Party Parliamentary Fuel Poverty & Energy Efficiency Group (FPEEG), demanded government action.  

"If the Government is to deliver social justice alongside policies to facilitate the shift to a low carbon future, it desperately needs to wake up to the need for radical improvements in the UK's housing standards - and not ask poorer consumers to pay for it through their energy bills." 

Improving domestic energy efficiency is a cost-effective way of tackling fuel poverty. Research by Professor Christine Liddell has shown that for every £1 spent on tackling fuel poverty, 42p is saved by the NHS (3).  

The report found that these deaths are caused by respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses resulting from the cold. The number of deaths in the UK is one of the highest in Europe and worse than worse than Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway and France (2).  Notes to editors: 

(1) However, each year, according the Office of National Statistics, excess winter deaths are currently over 25,000 in the UK.

(2) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15359312 

(3)http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/S4_EconomyEnergyandTourismCommittee/Inquiries/Energy_Action_Scotland.pdf

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