A meeting will take place on Sat. the 19th of November to discuss the Energy Bill and can be summarised by this letter:
37, Hurricane Road
Wallington
Surrey
SM6 9FY
19.11.2011
Tom Brake MP
Kennedy House
5 Nightingale Rd
Carshalton
SM5 2DN
Dear Mr. Brake,
In relation to the forthcoming Energy Bill I would like you please to speak to George Osborne about funding for home energy and for increased support for pensioners to pay their winter fuel bills.
- The ‘Warm Front’ forms part of the ‘Green Deal’ which ends in 2013 and should this happen it would be the first time in 30 years that the UK would not have a government funded energy efficiency programme.
- We seek the reinstatement of the ‘Warm Front’ to previous levels. The government has drastically cut this scheme which provides heating and insulation to vulnerable households. Please note that the ECO or Energy Company Obligation is funded through increased energy bills and is regressive as it increases the energy bills of the very people it is intended to help.
- We very much hope that the chancellor will take steps to reduce fuel poverty and household carbon emissions to provide public support for energy efficiency measures.
- Similarly, we would ask that the chancellor increases ‘Winter Fuel Payments’ to protect the fuel poor. These were cut by £50 for the over 60s and by £100 for the over 80s. He announced in March that payments would be frozen at this level for the next four years.
- We are requesting that revenues from the ‘Carbon Tax’ are used to fund energy efficiency which would have 9 times the impact in reducing carbon emissions than the carbon tax itself and will ensure that real progress is made in insulating the nation’s draughty housing stock.
- Finally, I would like to ask if you would ask a question during the chancellor’s speech as this is specifically a budgetary issue? If you feel this is inappropriate, would you please write to the chancellor and if possible schedule a meeting with him to discuss these issues?
I look forward in anticipation of your kind reply,
Richard Griffiths
Network Coordinator
Croydon and Wallington Greenpeace
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