Fuel poverty appears to be rising across the city region, with demand for support increasing significantly since the same period last year according to a report out this week from Greater Manchester Poverty Action
Their report finds that high energy costs are negatively impacting the daily lives and health of people living on low incomes in Greater Manchester.
Organisations,they say, that provide support to people on low incomes in Greater Manchester are unable to meet demand, with the majority surveyed being forced to turn people away due to a lack of capacity or resources
The authors recommenda response to these challenges at both a local and national level and are calling for Local councils working with partners, and national government to adopt strategic approaches to tackling poverty.
Support for people struggling with energy and other household bills to be clearly signposted and offered as a ‘one-stop shop’ where possible the report recommends
Greater Manchester faces higher risks
due to pre-existing levels of poverty, although these vary between different boroughs.
Research by Friends of the Earth also indicates that more than 30% of neighbourhoods in five of Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs are ‘energy crisis hotspots’ – neighbourhoods where energy use is high and typical household income is below the national average.
These factors combine to result in a fuel poverty rate in Greater Manchester that
is 1.9 percentage points higher than the English average of 13.2% say the authors
“ Our report on fuel poverty highlights the need for direct financial support to low-income households. The government must take meaningful action to boost the income of households struggling to pay their energy bills.”
