FRIDAY 26TH AUGUST 2022
Breckland Labour Group have called for their local Council to do more to support residents after it emerged that more than 8,664 people in the Breckland District are living in fuel poverty – a figure likely to increase over the coming months.
Group Leader Councillor Terry Jermy has tabled a motion for the September Full Council meeting of the authority which if adopted, would require the Council to produce a strategy to facilitate an end to fuel poverty in the district.
Jermy said: “The cost-of-living crisis is very much on the minds of the people I represent and the every-increasing fuel costs are of particular concern. The recently released statistics around fuel poverty are very concerning but are also somewhat out of date and the true picture is likely to be a lot worse. By producing a fuel poverty strategy Breckland would be joining many other Councils around the UK in recognising the severity of this issue and actively working to address it”.
The strategy will be tasked with looking at how the energy efficiency of social housing stock in the district can be improved and seek better enforcement of existing regulations of homes in the private rented sector.
The motion also requests the Council become a member of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition and write to the Government in support of the campaign to introduce a price cap for households that use domestic heating oil.
Breckland Green Group Leader Tim Birt who is seconding the motion said; “It may surprise many but domestic heating oil has been omitted from the fuel price cap and has already seen significant increases in cost. For rural areas like Saham Toney that I represent, this has already caused increased hardship.
“Breckland Council has declared a climate emergency and we urgently need to stop using fossil fuels, but many have no choice and we must not let people die of hypothermia this winter as the cost-of-living crisis bites harder.
“The production of a fuel poverty action plan will help focus minds and provide a roadmap for how we can make the necessary changes to reduce the numbers of people experiencing fuel poverty”.
The motion will be debated at Breckland Full Council on Thursday 1st September 2022.
NOTICE OF MOTION:
END FUEL POVERTY
This Council notes the work to date on ending fuel poverty in our area, but acknowledges that thousands of Breckland households are estimated to be in fuel poverty and that more can be done to end fuel poverty by 2030.
This Council resolves:
1. To instruct the Chief Executive and officers to create a strategy to facilitate ending fuel poverty in the Breckland area by 2030.
This will be achieved by:
- improving the energy efficiency of housing association housing stock
- enforcement of existing regulations on energy efficiency and property standards, particularly in the private rented sector
- publishing a statement of intent and setting locally appropriate eligibility criteria to access Energy Company Obligation funding via the Local Authority Flexibility arrangements
- levering in funds to improve the energy efficiency standards of all housing
- working to ensure all new build homes are independently certified as meeting the Future Homes Standard.
- providing accessible information, advice and guidance in a variety of formats to those most in need by utilising the Council’s various communication methods
- working in partnership with other agencies and voluntary and community groups to implement and monitor delivery of the Strategy, including signpost, refer & follow-up cases of debt to ensure residents are supported.
- To become a Member of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition.
- Write to the Government in support of the campaign to introduce an energy price cap for households that use domestic heating oil.
