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Please Look After Local Elderly In Cold Spell Says Councillor
January 27, 2004 10:00 AM
Kensington and Chelsea councillor Jennifer Kingsley today urged local residents to check on elderly and vulnerable neighbours during the current cold snap.
Mrs. Kingsley was speaking on the day that Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrat candidate for London Mayor, revealed new figures showing that there are 148,000 homes in London that are officially "fuel poor".
Cllr. Kingsley commented:
"The figures given in a Parliamentary Answer to Simon by the Government suggest that there are thousands of homes in each borough that spend more than 10% of their income on fuel and are classed as 'fuel poor'. This is despite the capital being in the warmest and wealthiest area of the UK."
"Community spirit could save lives over the coming days. I hope local residents will remember to check on any elderly and vulnerable people living in their neighbourhood to make sure they are keeping warm."
In comments released today, Simon Hughes states:
"Thousands of the most vulnerable in our society have been ignored, overlooked and are set to either freeze in this cold snap or go into debt to keep their homes warm.
"The poor are being taxed for being poor. As Mayor I would put pressure on the EU Commission to reduce VAT from 17% to 5% for all those people who insulate their homes themselves. This would bring it into line with the VAT paid by those people who can afford tradesmen to do the work.
"The current Mayor must work with Ministers to ensure that all fuel poor households in London are identified and insulation is put in. By giving everybody access to the best energy-insulating materials, fuel poverty could be reduced, providing better living conditions and a better quality of life to many people living in London."