Letter to Joan Ruddock MP - Fuel Poverty Bill

Joan,

Please allow the Fuel Poverty Bill to pass its Second Reading on Friday 12th June

We have talked many times about fuel poverty and I know you are bound by collective responsibility with your ministerial colleagues to support the government. I also know that you believe passionately in helping the poor and as you said on Saturday, you would not do anything to put more people in fuel poverty. However, there are times when the government machine may be too remote from the everyday reality of people’s lives and I believe this is one of them.

The recent public meeting on the Fuel Poverty Bill in Brockley was attended by many voters and without your input there were politicians of other parties trying to make political gain out of a very serious issue. I have to say I was very impressed by Ron Bailey, the chair of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition and what he had to say, although I had heard so many conflicting views about the Fuel Poverty Bill. The meeting also had some other very good speakers: Mervyn Kohler - Age Concern & Help the Aged Special Advisor; Dave Timms - Friends of the Earth Senior Parliamentary Campaigner and Ruth Bond - National Federation of Women's Institutes Chair of Public Affairs.

As far as I understand the Fuel Poverty Bill, it would:

- Require a national energy efficiency programme ensuring that homes of people in fuel poverty are properly insulated;

- Protect households from failing back into fuel poverty as a result of possible future fuel price rises;

- Create tens of thousands of “green” jobs and provide a major boost to the economy;

- Reduce household fuel bills by up to 70%;

- Cut emissions of carbon dioxide from homes to reduce climate change;

- Cut costs to the health service due to the reduction in cold and damp related illnesses.

When someone dies because they cannot heat their home in the Winter, it becomes a national disgrace. In 2009, this should not be happening and this Bill goes partly along the way to achieve the ultimate goal of abolishing fuel poverty for good. We cannot wait and allow more people to suffer the unacceptable position of choosing to eat or heat their homes.

I, as you know, would want the government to go further, not least of would be to re-instate price regulation and controls similar to France. However, this Bill is a start. We cannot allow politicians who want to hi-jack this serious issue to make party-political points against you or the Labour Party; I remember what it was like under a Conservative government.

Please allow this Bill to pass through to its second reading and work together with the people involved to reduce the numbers falling into fuel poverty. By-all means reject the party political games but do not reject the principles behind the Bill.

Regards,

Paul Bell