Bob Ainsworth has unearthed shocking figures which show the equivalent of almost an entire ward in his constituency is living in fuel poverty.
The figures, which were revealed by the Department of Energy and Climate Change in response to a parliamentary question asked by Bob, show that the number of households in fuel poverty in Coventry North East constituency was estimated to be 9,000 in 2010, the latest year for which figures are available.
The number of households in fuel poverty in Coventry as a whole was estimated to be 26,700 and 3.5 million households were in fuel poverty throughout England.
Bob said:
“These figures are shocking and show without a doubt that rising energy bills are contributing to a cost of living crisis affecting thousands of households in Coventry and millions of households nationwide.
“It is clear that soaring energy bills are hurting families and pensioners in my constituency and there is a great deal of concern that the Tory-led Government’s lack of action to tackle rising energy prices could push many more people into fuel poverty.
“The government must act now to tackle rising energy prices and to ensure that help is provided to those in fuel poverty. They should start by getting behind Labour’s plans to put over-75s on the cheapest tariff and overhaul the energy market to deliver fair prices for all.”
Bob Ainsworth MP 