Modest fall in fuel poverty figures

The number of people in fuel poverty in England showed a "modest" fall, figures released today by the government show.

The figures, relating to 2011, show that 3.2 million households spend 10 per cent or more of their income on energy, down from 3.5 million.

Across the whole of the UK, the number of fuel poor households also fell, with 4.5 million in 2011 under the 10 per cent measure, down 0.25 million from the previous year.

The number of vulnerable households in fuel poverty followed the trend and showed a slight reduction.

Around 2.5 million vulnerable households in England were fuel poor in 2011, down from 2.8 million from 2010, while the UK figures showed a 0.5 million drop to 3.5 million.

The reduction was caused by two main factors: rising incomes – particularly amongst lower income households; and reduced energy consumption.

However, the fuel poverty aggregate gap, a new measure recommended by the Hills Review to measure the depth of fuel poverty, increase by £22 million to £1.15 billion in 2011.

The average fuel poverty gap – the difference between households being in or out of fuel poverty – increased by £26 to £448.

Energy and climate change minister, Greg Barker, said he was “very encouraged” by the “modest fall in the number of households living in fuel poverty”.

He added: “There is absolutely no room for complacency. There is still an unacceptably high number of people living in cold, damp, unhealthy conditions.”

The minister said the coalition government has a “focus on improving energy efficiency” and is “determined to do even more” to tackle fuel poverty.