Delivering Affordable Warmth
A Fuel Poverty Strategy for Kent
Recent research indicates that the number of households suffering from fuel poverty is rising.
The average fuel expenditure has increased from £694 to £1,338 (between 2003 and 2010) due to a 90% increase in fuel prices over 7 years. This has challenged the government’s target to reduce the number of households living in fuel poverty. The average fuel poverty level in Dover is 9.5%, higher than the Kent average of 8.6% and the South East average of 8.3%.
The Fuel Poverty Strategy for Kent outlines the key issues and sets out a series of objectives with the aim of helping people in Kent out of fuel poverty and into affordable warmth. With input from a wide range of organisations it demonstrates a commitment to work in partnership to alleviate fuel poverty across Kent.
A workshop was held with a wide range of stakeholders to enable fuel poverty programmes to be delivered in a more efficient way and enhance/ contribute to/ link up with existing initiatives so that vulnerable residents are reached and wider inequalities of health are tackled with the aim of delivering a healthier county.