Help with energy bills slashed for people in Dearne
Just eight per cent of people in the Dearne are getting the help they did in previous years to make their homes warmer and cheaper to heat.
The figures were revealed by MP John Healey who is urging the government to do more to help people struggling with rocketing energy bills to make their homes more efficient.
Between 2006 and 2010, the Warm Front scheme helped 630 households on average each year in the Wentworth and Dearne constituency. But last year (2011/12) that dropped to 60 and so far this year (2012/13) just 52 homes have been insulated and given boiler upgrades.
In addition, in 2012/13 average spend in the area has been slashed to £1,369.10. It was more than £3,000 in 2010.
In Rotherham as a whole, 145 households have been helped this year compared to an average of more than 1,500 a year between 2006 and 2010.
In Barnsley, 98 were helped this year – another big drop from more than 1,400 on average.
Mr Healey has accused the government of making it harder for people to bring down heating bills and called on the energy minister Greg Barker to do more.
In a letter he said: “In the last year thousands of people have been turned down for help, thousands more have been left waiting to know whether or not they will receive assistance and there is a massive backlog.
“The average level of grant has been slashed, yet only half of the £100m set aside for Warm Front has been spent.
“Meanwhile energy costs are soaring, people are struggling to pay their bills and there are warnings millions more are at risk of fuel poverty.”
Mr Healey urged Mr Barker to re-open the Warm Front scheme (which is being scrapped by the government and closed to new applicants on 19 January) until the 2012/13 budget is spent in full or, at least, guarantee the underspend will go into new schemes providing energy efficiency measures for people in fuel poverty.