UK fuel poverty ‘humanitarian crisis’ – health expert

Fuel poverty in the UK will lead to a “significant humanitarian crisis with thousands of lives lost and millions of children’s development blighted”, the latest Marmot review warns today.

*Fuel Poverty, Cold Homes and Health Inequalities* predicts significant health, social and education disadvantage for a new generation of children if the predicted 55% of the UK’s households – about 15 million people – fall into fuel poverty by January 2023 without effective interventions.

Professor Sir Michael Marmot, director of UCL Institute of Health Equity, and Professor Ian Sinha, consultant respiratory paediatrician at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, in Liverpool, led the review, which links the “dangerous consequences” of living in a cold home to a child’s health and future life expectancy.

“Warm homes, nutritious food and a stable job are vital building blocks for health,” said Sir Michael.

“In addition to the effect of cold homes on mental and physical illness, living on a low income does much damage. If we are constantly worrying about making ends meet it puts a strain on our bodies, resulting in increased stress, with effects on the heart and blood vessels and a disordered immune system.

“This type of living environment will mean thousands of people will die earlier than they should, and, in addition to lung damage in children, the toxic stress can permanently affect their brain development.

“The government needs to act, and act right now. It’s clear we are facing a significant humanitarian crisis with thousands losing their lives and millions of children’s development blighted, leading to inequalities that will last a lifetime.”

Prof Sinha added: “There is a window of opportunity in childhood for optimal respiratory maturation. This is impaired by problems associated with cold, substandard, or overcrowded housing such as viruses, dust, mould, and pollution.

“When we add in factors such as cutting back on food to pay the gas bills, and the mental health and educational impact of cold houses, the picture is bleaker still.

“Without meaningful and swift action, therefore, my concern is that cold housing will have dangerous consequences for many children now, and through their life-course. Lifelong health inequalities, repeatedly and eloquently described by Sir Michael take root in childhood – there is no doubt that the standard of a child’s house is a key factor.”

The review also warns fuel poverty will lead to substantial and long-lasting education inequalities.

The authors call for the urgent launch of a national fuel poverty strategy, with ring-fenced funding, to allow local government to plan and support local people.

The review also calls for national policy interventions, which could include a social tariff for qualifying households; lowering energy prices for everyone and recouping some of the cost through irises in income tax; and increasing windfall taxes on energy companies

It warns underlying root causes of fuel poverty must be addressed, which include warm homes, nutritious food, stable jobs and having enough money to lead a healthy life, while households at risk of fuel poverty should be signposted to all their entitled benefits.

The review includes a number of case studies from across the UK of action taken to reduce fuel poverty. In Scotland, East Ayrshire Council launched the East Ayrshire Joint Team Fuel Poverty Strategy with ringfenced funding from December 2006-March 2009. This enabled the authority to train team members to visit vulnerable over 60s in their homes to provide advice on income and benefits and help them complete application forms. In one year, the programme made 673 successful claims, which led to £1.358 million of extra income for pensioners.

Another was in Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, which, in December 2020, employed 10 community bronchiolitis parent champions who worked in children’s centres in local communities across the city.

All were mothers who had used children’s centres in Liverpool wards of high deprivation and they were trained by paediatricians, Citizens Advice, Shelter and breastfeeding charities to provide practical support and advice on bronchiolitis. In six months, the parent champions reached about 2,000 deprived families.

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