Two West Midlands cities among worst areas in England for fuel poverty
The majority of neighbourhoods are unable to heat their homes properly
Last updated 1st Dec 2021
Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton are two of the top four areas in England that struggle to heat their homes the most.
Government data, analysed by West Midlands Friends of the Earth, shows that 69% of Stoke and 65% of Wolverhampton households experienced fuel poverty.
Only the London borough of Newham (73%) was hit harder than both West Midlands cities, while Barking and Dagenham (68%) was 1 percent better off than households in Stoke.
That makes Wolverhampton and Stoke two of the top four areas that are worst affected by fuel poverty in the country.
Overall, 41% of neighbourhoods in the West Midlands were rated as worst for fuel poverty, compared to just 1% of homes in the South East.
Yorkshire and the Humber and the North East joined the West Midlands as the top three regions with the highest proportion of neighbourhoods ranking poorly for fuel poverty.
Not a new problem
The main reasons why families struggle to keep warm in winter are low income, high fuel prices, poor energy efficiencies, unaffordable housing prices and poor quality rental properties.
This means that fuel poverty is not a new issue, which past research has shown.
Previous government research proved that there were more than three million people living in fuel poverty across England.
It's also shown that young people are more likely to live in fuel poverty than older people.
Fuel poverty "a matter of urgency" for the Government
Wolverhampton Council leader, Ian Brookfield, said:
“Fuel poverty is a huge issue facing households in our city and across the country, and these problems are only going to be exacerbated by the rising cost of living and the current crisis in the energy market which is hiking up gas bills.
“These are issues the government needs to tackle as a matter of urgency. As a local authority, we are determined to see more new and better-insulated homes built in our city and create more better-paid jobs for our residents.
Chris Crean, regional campaigner at West Midlands Friends of the Earth, said:
“Everyone deserves to live in a warm home, no matter where they live, how old they are or what kind of house they live in.
“But this research paints a stark picture of the many ways fuel poverty discriminates according to race, disability and the places people live.
“Rapid progress is needed to lift people out of fuel poverty right now."
Friends of the Earth is now calling on the government to introduce a Windfall Tax on fossil fuel companies currently profiting to fund home insulation and support people in fuel poverty through the winter.