Seven in 10 Yorkshire households face fuel poverty by January, stark research finds

More than 70 per cent of households in Yorkshire will have fallen into fuel poverty by January as a result of rising energy bills, new research has warned.

According to the study on fuel poverty by the University of York, Yorkshire and Humber will be among the hardest hit regions with 70.6 per cent of households in this position – behind only the West Midlands in England where it will be 70.9 per cent.

Being in fuel poverty is classed as spending 10 per cent of a household’s net income on fuel.

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The analysis found almost one-third of Yorkshire households are projected to spend over 20 per cent of their income on energy bills by January, with one in five spending more than 25 per cent. A total of fourteen per cent of the region’s households are due to spend more than three in every ten pounds they own on fuel bills.

One in three UK households could fall into fuel poverty if latest estimates that the average energy bill could reach £3,250 a year become reality, a charity has warned.One in three UK households could fall into fuel poverty if latest estimates that the average energy bill could reach £3,250 a year become reality, a charity has warned.
One in three UK households could fall into fuel poverty if latest estimates that the average energy bill could reach £3,250 a year become reality, a charity has warned.

Nationally, an estimated 45 million Britons will be forced into the 10 per cent fuel poverty bracket and struggle to pay energy bills this winter.

Co-lead author of the report Professor Jonathan Bradshaw from the Social Policy research unit at the University of York said: “This should be the main preoccupation of the Conservative leadership candidates. A new package of mitigations is urgently needed”.

Two-thirds of all UK households – or 18 million families – will be plunged into financial precariousness by January due to soaring inflation – which is already at 40-year record high.

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The research published by Child Poverty Action Group and originally highlighted in The Guardian newspaper further stated that 86.4% of pensioner couples will fall into fuel poverty. Single parent households with two more more children will bare the brunt at 90.4%.

The shadow secretary of state for climate change and net zero and Doncaster North MP, Ed Miliband, responded to the report by calling for an energy price freeze to address the “national emergency” of inflation.

The Labour MP wrote on Twitter: “These shocking figures show the full scale of the national emergency that could unfold unless the Conservative government acts to freeze energy bills.

“We simply cannot allow the British people to suffer in this way.

“We need an energy price freeze.”

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It echoed Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s proposal announced on Monday to freeze the energy price cap at its current level of £1,971 for six months from October, saving the average household £1,000.

The cost-of-living crisis was catapulted further up the agenda in the Conservative leadership election as new figures showed a worse-than-expected hit in July with the Consumer Prices Index inflation (CPI) reaching 10.1%.

Pressure was further applied to the Tory candidates and Government on Wednesday with the resignation of Ofgem director Christine Farnish, who cited concerns the energy regulator was failing to effectively protect struggling households.

Ms Farnish told The Times the watchdog had not “struck the right balance between the interests of consumers and the interests of suppliers”.

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The energy regulator has faced criticism in recent months for not doing enough to protect families during the global energy crisis.

It is understood Ms Farnish’s resignation is linked to Ofgem’s decision to change the methodology of the price cap to allow suppliers to recover some of the high energy “backwardation” costs sooner rather than later.