The levels of fuel poverty in this country are simply unacceptable.
This graph shows how fuel poverty in Newcastle Central is increasing faster than the national average.
Privatisation has failed to deliver an energy system that delivers for people, businesses or our environment. This issue is extremely important to me, as Newcastle Central experiences a disproportionately high rate of fuel poverty, as can be seen in the graph.
Over 15% of Newcastle Central households are in fuel poverty, and many constituents have come to me with their fuel poverty struggles. The Government is not doing enough to help those in need, and the number of people in fuel poverty is expected to rise over the next few years.
The Annual Fuel Poverty Statistics Report 2017 published by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy predicts fuel poverty to rise, and the Committee on Fuel Poverty predicts that in 2019 there will still be thousands of fuel poor households living in Band F and G properties.
This Government is not taking fuel poverty seriously, but Labour will. We will insulate four million homes as an infrastructure priority to help those who suffer in cold homes. Labour will also introduce an immediate emergency price cap to ensure that the average dual-fuel household energy bill remains below £1,000 per year, while we transition to a fairer system for bill payers. Energy will be taken back into public ownership to deliver renewable energy, affordability for consumers, and democratic control.