Money For Fuel Poor Remains Unspent

An estimated 25% of a fund designed to help the poorest stay warm in their homes remained unspent at the end of March. Changing criteria for the Warm Front scheme and a lack of publicity both contributed to the fund not being claimed and fuel-poor households losing out according to the charity National Energy Action (NEA).

 

Warm Front, which closed at the end of March, provided heating and insulation improvements worth up to £6000 to households on certain income-related benefits living in properties that were poorly insulated and/or did not have a working central heating system. New, more rigorous criteria was applied in April 2011 and applications dropped off.

 

NEA and Consumer Focus ran a late joint awareness raising campaign towards the end of the schemes life to try to rectify the situation and this saw weekly applications to the scheme increase by 150%. The unspent money will be absorbed back into the treasury.