More than 30 people attended our event at the Imperial Hotel to explore the current fuel poverty crisis. It was one of 12 held across the country during the National Warm Homes Campaign.
Speakers included county councillor Brian Oostyhusen, Kaye Welfare from the Severn Wye Energy Agency and Stroud MP Neil Carmichael (MP) who gave details of the government’s forthcoming Green Deal.
The meeting heard that due to rising fuel costs and stagnant incomes, over 15% of households in the Stroud District are in fuel poverty.
Keynote speaker Dr Brenda Boardman MBE (left), from Oxford University, told the meeting that the key to tackling fuel poverty was to improve the fuel efficiency of the UK’s 26 million homes.
“If we’re going to eradicate fuel poverty by 2016 we’ve got to get on with it,” she said. “One way this could be done, is to identify one low-carbon zone per local authority where the fuel poor are concentrated.”
“We should tackle every home in that area with the necessary insulation and fuel efficiency measures to take it out of fuel poverty. If you do it street-by-street, you get economies of scale and can bring-in community solutions such as combined heat and power or anaerobic digestion.”
Before the public meeting, Dr Boardman visited the Uplands Care Service (above) to officially launch our £10,000 charity appeal to help vulnerable households in Gloucestershire stay warm this winter.
Every pensioner in the country is receiving the government’s Winter Fuel Allowance of at least £200. However it is estimated that only one in four actually needs the money to keep warm. We are asking those who do not need the money, to donate all or part of it to help others.
More details can be found online at www.donateyourfuelallowance.com
The Uplands Care Service is one of four groups being supported by the appeal. Care and Repair (Stroud), Wood U Waste’s Briquette Project and the Acorn Day Care Centre are the other three to benefit.
