Archived press release

Winter deaths soar across England. Local figures on fuel poverty scandal published for first time

14 February 2000

The number of “excess winter deaths” soared across every region in England last year, as the country's fuel poverty scandal continues to worsen. The figure shows by how much the death rate increases during the winter months.

The UK has one of the worst records for winter deaths in the developed world,and far worse than for any other European country. Studies have shown that while the UK death rate rises by 30% during winter, the rise in Norway and Sweden - where average temperatures are lower - is closer to 10%. Up to 8 million households in the UK suffer from cold homes, and campaigners believe this is a major factor in the shocking death rate. The elderly and young children are particularly at risk from cold-related illnesses.

This year the outcome is likely to be even worse. So far this winter (1stDecember 1999 to 31st January 2000), 6,800 more people have died across the country than last year - the figures then were the worst for ten years . Warm homes campaigners today publish detailed estimates of winter deaths for every Parliamentary cons tituency in the country, based on newly released Government figures for each region (constituency figures available from Friends of the Earth press office).

EXCESS WINTER DEATHS: 1998-1999 by region

East Anglia 2,250
Greater London 5,486
South East 9,244
South West 4,300
East Midlands 4,200
West Midlands 4,990
Northern 7,080
North West 2,830
Yorkshire & Humberside 4,870

Fuel poverty particularly hits the elderly and other vulnerable groups, who struggle to pay their fuel bills and cannot raise the capital to help make their homes more energy efficient. The £100 winter fuel payment introduced by this Government is only a limited help, as people in energy inefficient homes are simply paying to “heat the skies over their house”.

Commenting, Martyn Williams, Parliamentary Co-ordinator of Friends of the Earth and organiser of the Campaign for the Warm Homes Bill said:

“Today we expose the shocking extent of fuel poverty in the UK, and just what it means in practice. Cold homes kill. We know that a national programme to make homes more fuel efficient would save lives, ease the crisis in the NHS, and help the environment. Every MP can now see the numbers for their constituency. It's time for the Government to fall off the fence, and give our campaign the backing it needs to succeed.”

Conservative MP David Amess, who came fifth this year in the Ballot for private members Bills, is to introduce a Warm Homes Bill, with a Second Reading on Friday 10th March. The Bill would create a national programme for installing energy efficiency measures [1], such as insulation and efficient heating systems. But the Government has yet to give the Bill any backing, and spin doctors have suggested that it may even be opposed at Second Reading or in Committee.

1. The programme required by the Warm Homes Bill would pay for itself over its lifetime through savings made in health spending, job creation and public sector housing maintenance. The cost of treating “cold-related illnesses” to the National Health Service is estimated at £1 billion every year. Almost 30,000 jobs would be created by the programme, and the management and maintenance bill for public sector housing would be cut as the need for damp and rot related repairs would be reduced.

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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust