Church of Ireland Board for Social Theology in Action speaks on Fuel Poverty
Mindful of the past two freezing cold winters, of the rising cost of fuel and of the increasing demands upon household budgets in the present economic climate, The Church of Ireland Board for Social Theology in Action is most dismayed by reports in the media over the past several weeks of the increasing danger of fuel poverty in Northern Ireland.
Some 44% of homes in the province spend over 10% of their income on fuel (the defining figure for fuel poverty) with 13% spending more than 20%. Northern Ireland has a considerably higher instance of fuel poverty than other regions of the United Kingdom, in fact among the highest levels in the developed world, and it is often households dependent upon benefits due to the age or infirmity of residents that are most vulnerable to rises in fuel costs.
It is alarming to note that at the same time that a Citizens’ Advice Bureau Report shows that nearly two thirds of disabled respondents are faced with the choice between heat and food, the Department for Social Development is advocating a new means of calculating fuel poverty, using the figure of 13% in extreme poverty as normative, rather than the 44% of people across the province spending more than 10% of their income on fuel. While welcoming Minister McCausland’s assertion that this allows his department the opportunity to focus on the most badly impacted households, it remains vital that the less acute but nonetheless affected households are not forgotten.
The Board calls on the Minister to look seriously at any and all measures to alleviate the pressure of fuel poverty, starting with the most vulnerable. The Board also calls on individuals to recognise the responsibility on each individual for the care of those around them. As Jesus Christ taught and modelled the value of loving our neighbours, so the Board urges everyone to realise the shared benefits of this principle. As winter approaches, we would encourage people to be attentive to the most vulnerable members of society, perhaps calling in from time to time on elderly neighbours or on those who live alone to offer support, friendship and maybe even a hot meal.