Scandal of cold-related deaths of the elderly

OVER the last few weeks, two reports have been published that should be of concern to the Government. One was covered by the Yorkshire Post, both as an article and in its Editorial (Yorkshire Post, November 30).

This report was published by the Office for National Statistics and revealed that there were 24,000 cold weather related deaths during 2011 and 2012, with 10 per cent of that 
figure, some 2,400 deaths, 
linked with cold weather in Yorkshire.

The other report entitled The Cost of Cold was published by AgeUK and predicted that the number of cold-related deaths could be as high as 27,000 for the year 2012-13. It stated: “It is an absolute scandal that older people will become ill or die this winter because they are unable to keep warm.”

It is also an absolute scandal that this state of affairs is allowed to prevail while this country sends billions of pounds abroad in overseas aid.

The expression “charity begins at home” has recently become over used, but in this case it definitely does, and should, apply.

Do members of the Government sleep soundly in their warm beds at night when they read such statistics?

If they do they ought to be ashamed of themselves for 
not taking the necessary 
action to drastically reduce 
these figures.