Poor Local Take Up of Domestic Heating Grants

11.55.57am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 15th Aug 2006

Vincent Cable MP expressed concern that only small numbers of local people are taking up offers of grants from the Government - the Warm Front Scheme - to assist with home insulation or the installation of better central heating. The latest figures show that in the last financial year to 31 March 2006, 69 people in the Twickenham constituency received help, mostly pensioners and disabled and mostly for insulations.

Vincent Cable said, "This is an enlightened scheme designed to cut fuel poverty and also reduce wasteful emissions of carbon dioxide - the importance of which was illustrated by the recent British Gas survey which showed that Borough of Richmond houses emit more carbon dioxide than in any other borough in London. But it is on a very small scale. There are tens of thousands of pensioners, many of whom need help if their houses are to be properly heated and insulated. Last year £78,000 was spent in the Twickenham area under the Warm Front Scheme but this is only a tiny fraction of the £1.5 billion which is available. I hope that voluntary bodies working with the elderly, the Council, Richmond Housing Partnership and others will do more to promote the Scheme."