Fuel poverty figures for the county only tell part of the story

Figures showing that 18 per cent of homes in Shropshire and 14.9 per cent in Telford and Wrekin were in fuel poverty in 2021 could now be much worse with the energy crisis worsening since then.

File photo dated 03/02/22 of an illustration of an online energy bill, as the cost of living crisis is quickly becoming an emergency, SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford has said. PA Photo. Issue date: Sunday February 6, 2022. He has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak calling for more action to tackle rising bills. See PA story SCOTLAND Blackford. Photo credit should read: Jacob King/PA Wire.

Figures just published from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show 25,730 households in Shropshire and 11,686 households in Telford and Wrekin were in fuel poverty two years ago, up on the previous year in Shropshire.

But National Energy Action said the data only tells part of the story.

It says energy prices increased significantly towards the end of 2021 with many suppliers in the UK going out of business. By the end of December 2021, 28 energy companies had closed their doors.

A household is considered to be fuel poor if they are living in a property with an energy efficiency rating of band D or below and their disposable income, after paying housing and energy costs, is below the official poverty line.

Adam Scorer, chief executive of National Energy Action, said increasing energy prices and falling income has pushed many into fuel poverty.

"Behind these figures are the stories of people we hear from every day. People in crisis, sacrificing hot meals or showers to afford a warm room, or forced to ration their energy despite it decimating their health," he said.

He added: "Yet, the two-year time lag on the data means we won’t know the full picture of the energy crisis until this time next year. The Government figures released today massively understate the current crisis."

Simon Lellow from Telford Crisis Support said the increasing number of people using food banks stemmed in part from the increase in fuel bills. He said people were having to choose between heating their homes or buying food.

The county figures are above the national percentage figures.

Nationally, about 3.2 million households in England, 13.1 per cent were in fuel poverty two years ago.

A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said the Government knew this has been a difficult time for families. It added this was why the government has covered "around half" of the typical household's energy bill over the winter.

“Our financial support, together with progress made in delivering energy efficiency measures, has prevented a significant increase in fuel poverty following Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and weaponisation of gas supplies," a government spokesman said.