Rt Hon Peter Hain MP Supports Charity’s Fuel Poverty Campaign This Winter
Neath MP Peter Hain has pledged his support for ‘Mind the Gap’, a campaign aiming to raise awareness of help available for people affected by fuel poverty.
The campaign, run by the national charity Turn2us, is focusing on the growing gap between household incomes and the cost of energy bills, and is highlighting the support available to those who are struggling to pay their energy costs.
Mr Hain said “Fuel poverty is an extremely important issue that can have a hugely damaging effect on people from all backgrounds, and it is vitally important that people realise that they do not have to struggle alone.
Assistance is available to help manage energy bills and I am pleased to be able to support Turn2us’ ‘Mind the Gap’ fuel poverty campaign. I encourage anyone that is worried to take action and use the six steps to help manage their bills.’
The campaign features six steps, using Turn2us’ free tools and information to help anyone experiencing these problems. The steps, available at www.turn2us.org.uk/fuelpoverty include checking welfare benefits entitlement, searching for grants and schemes to help with bills, getting help to improve energy efficiency and checking energy tariffs.
Research by the charity found that a staggering 85% of people across Wales are worried about paying their energy bills this winter. Of those who struggled with these costs last winter, almost two-thirds (64%) suffered stress as a result and over a third (36%) were forced to cut back on food or skip meals.