New money to help North East pensioners
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown has pledged an extra £250m to help keep North East pensioners warm.
Today (Tuesday, January 17) Mr Brown launched the cash boost which will make sure every elderly person claiming pension credit in England will be entitled to a £2,700 grant to make their home warm.
The money will help Newcastle-based Eaga Partnership to expand the capacity on the popular Warm Front scheme, to provide central heating systems for elderly people on pension credit.
In the North East alone 161,000 North East people are living in cold homes because they have no central heating or cannot afford their energy bills.
More than 1,000 people died from the cold in the region last year and across the UK 60,000 people will die from the cold.
The new money forms part of the Government’s strategy to eliminate fuel poverty in the UK by 2010.
The Warm Front scheme has been running since 2000 and has already helped 106,000 people in the North East.
People on a wide range of benefits including income support, council tax benefit and working tax credit are among those eligible for a grant.
Eaga Chief Executive, John Clough said: “This is great news for the Warm Front scheme and Eaga Partnership. We will now be able to reach every pensioner who is eligible for a grant to make their homes warmer.
“This extra money will help us meet the Government’s target to eradicate fuel poverty in the UK by 2010.
“Thousands of pensioners across the UK are still living in cold homes without proper heating and insulation. This announcement today will make a real difference to the quality of their lives.”
For more information about Warm Front contact 0800 316 6014 or you can apply for
a grant online at www.eaga.co.uk.
For press enquries contact Eaga Press Officer Gayle Tomlinson on 07939 134427 or Head of Corporate Affairs James Grugeon on 07730424410.
Editors Notes
- Photographs and footage of Gordon Brown launching the new cash are available from Kevin McClaire at Defra on 0207 238 6054.
- The Pre-Budget Statement of 5 December 2005 announced that an additional £300m would be made available to tackle fuel poverty across the UK. This cash was launched this morning by Chancellor Gordon Brown.
- An additional £250m will be made available to tackle fuel poverty in England from 2005-2008.
- The remaining £50m will go towards eradicating fuel poverty in each of the devolved nations. Central Heating Programme in Scotland, Warm Homes in Northern Ireland and Home Energy Efficiency Scheme in Wales.
- The additional £250m in England will boost funding and allow the Warm Front Scheme to focus on pensioner households who are receiving Pension Credit, some of the most vulnerable households in society, and provide them with central heating.
- The increased funding in England will also provide those pensioner households, who are not eligible for benefits, a contribution of £300 towards the cost of the installation of a central heating system. Final details as to how this system will operate are still to be finalised. Eaga has submitted a proposal to how this will work and Defra is considering it.
- The Government defines a household as living in fuel poverty where over 10% of disposable income is spent on energy costs.
Media Contact
James Grugeon
Director of Corporate Affairs
Eaga Group
07730 424410
0191 350 6531