Regent's Park &
Kensington North
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Karen Buck MP Regent's Park & Kensington North |
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Keeping people warm this ChristmasDecember 2005 The first snow of winter- amid warnings from the Met Office of what could be the coldest winter for a decade- is a reminder of the vulnerability of some categories of people to severe weather. Most at risk are those living in poor quality or badly insulated housing, and, amongst them, pensioners and families with very young children on low incomes. The idea that, in the heart of a prosperous country such as ours, some pensioners and families could not afford to protect themselves against the cold, understandably provoked severe criticism. In recent years, therefore, the government has given a very high priority to responding to the problem. Central to the strategy has been the introduction of the Winter Heating Allowance for pensioners, which this year means that all pensioner households receive a lump sum of £200- £300 for the over 90s (and, of course, £200 for pensioner households where Council Tax is paid. Conservatives argued for its abolition as a special payment, but in my experience, a lump sum is a welcome security, particularly for those on the very lowest incomes, who are most worried about their ability to pay an unexpectedly large bill. Of course, for too many people, a big heating bill is a direct result of a poorly insulated and inefficiently heated home. The huge investment in the Decent Homes Initiative, the programme for improving the quality of our poorest housing, is now dealing with the backlog of sub-standard council and housing association property. This is intended, amongst many other things, to include effective insulation and heating, and although the target date for all properties is not until 2010, we are well advanced into the scheme. Also focusing on these issues is the government’ supported ‘Warm Front’ company, which combats fuel poverty by installing heating and insulation measures into the homes of more vulnerable residents. Since ‘Warm Front’ was set up, more than 600 people have been assisted locally, including pensioners, people receiving Disability Living Allowance and families with very young children. In some cases, central heating systems have been installed, in others, repairs carried out to boilers or insulation measures put in place. Unlike the ‘Decent Homes Initiative’, ‘Warm Front’ is targeted at people who own their own homes or who rent privately, and can offer grants of up to £2,700 to low income households in those categories. If you, or someone you know, would like to know more about ‘Warm Front’, you can contact the team on 0800 316 6014. Any queries about Pension Credit, call 0800 991234- or feel free to contact me at the House of Commons, London SW1A OAA, or ring 0208 968 7999, or e-mail k.buck@rpkn-labour.co.uk.We may still find the cold weather comes as a surprise after so many mild winters, but we can still make sure that those least able to cope get all the support to which they are entitled. |
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