Two articles exposing actual outcomes of green politics.

ONE of the coldest winters in a century saw Welsh people risking their health by switching off heating in the face of rising energy bills, a report has found.

The Bevan Foundation report said some families also plunged themselves into debt or went without food in an effort to afford to heat their homes.

It warns the Assembly Government will not meet its target of eliminating fuel poverty by 2018 with its current approach.

The shocking report comes just a week after Children in Wales and Consumer Focus Wales warned children’s health and education is being put at risk by fuel poverty.

James Radcliffe, author of the Bevan Foundation report, Coping with Cold, said: “The combination of rising energy prices and the return of colder winters means more people are affected by fuel poverty.

“It is clear that the target of eliminating fuel poverty by 2018 will not be met through the current strategy.

“We need to start thinking about alternative ways of tackling fuel poverty and helping people stay warm during the winter. It is unacceptable that the UK has such a high rate of excess deaths over the winter compared to countries like Sweden which have even colder weather.”

The Bevan Foundation asked 120 people in South Wales how they responded to cold weather in last year’s winter. The winter of 2009-10 was the coldest in 30 years with the mean UK temperature falling to 1.5C, the lowest since 1978-79.

Provisional figures for this winter (2010-11) reveal it was the coldest for 100 years, with the mean temperature in the UK plummeting to -1C, compared to the long-term average of 4.2C.

The Bevan Foundation research found people were cutting back on food to pay for energy or even going without warmth to keep bills low. Just under a third never increased their heating in the cold.

John, 56, in rural Wales, said: “I just keep the heating off unless it’s really bad; I drink tea and wear lots of clothes, and try to go to the library and read to keep warm. That way I don’t get into debt.”

Sarah, 31, of South Wales, said: “I have to stay warm as I have two kids, but it is expensive and I’ll usually end up overdrawn.”

The report said: “While some people simply increase the amount of heating in their homes and as a result may face high costs, others find other ways of coping, some of which may be harmful.

“These range from people adopting behaviours, such as wearing extra clothing and ensuring appliances are turned off when not being used, to behaviours that may affect their health and reduce enjoyment of their homes such as remaining cold, only keeping one room heated and going elsewhere.”

Lindsey Kearton, energy policy advocate at Consumer Focus Wales, said: “As energy prices continue to rise, so will the number of Welsh households in fuel poverty. Energy companies, the Assembly Government, the UK Government and others have a part to play in tackling an issue which affects 320,000 Welsh households.”

A spokesman for Energy UK, representing gas and electricity companies, said: “There is a huge amount that energy companies are doing to help their most vulnerable customers. Between 2009 and 2010 Britain’s main energy companies spent £153m on social tariffs, access to trust funds and free home insulation.ŠThis is likely to rise in the next couple of years, with the number of households benefiting from these programmes reaching 1.6 million.

“We urge anyone who is struggling to pay their energy bills to call their energy company as there is help available.

“Anyone can call the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 336699 for free advice. Research from the helpline recently showed that 350,000 people in Wales are missing out on help that could typically save them £260 a year.”

An Assembly Government spokeswoman said: “Unlike in England, the Assembly Government has maintained its commitment to funding its Home Energy Efficiency Scheme to reduce, as far as possible, the number in Wales in fuel poverty.”

Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/02/15/families-go-without-food-to-pay-winter-fuel-bills-91466-28171215/#ixzz1GNGKsP7q 

After a week that saw children in deprived areas handed advice on keeping warm and shock at the standard of living in some of the country’s poorest parts, Aled Blake asks why a developed country like Wales continues to be riddled with inequalities in the 21st century

PROSPECTS for people living in Wales’ most deprived areas could not be more starkly contrasted to those in wealthier parts.

Children are growing up in homes their parents cannot afford to heat properly and it is affecting their health and education – and, ultimately, their prospects in life.

Meanwhile, men living on one of the nation’s most deprived housing estates can expect to have just 58.8 years of life in good health.

The statistics on the Gurnos estate in Merthyr Tydfil show that suicide rates among out-of-work men are also startlingly high.

There are deep concerns that children in Wales’ poorest families are being kept awake at night because of the cold and their health and grades are suffering.

Nearly a third of children in Wales live in low-income households. Around 26% of all households in Wales are in fuel poverty, having to spend 10% of their income heating their home.

It is feared that many low-income households are forced to choose between heating their home or providing their children with a nourishing meal.

Such children are understood to be more prone to infections, colds and accidents.

The disparity in quality of life for people living in deprived parts of Wales and those living in more affluent areas could not be more stark.

And there seems to be no solution on the horizon to tackle the problem.

One AM succinctly summed up the absurdity of the situation that many of Wales’ poorest find themselves living in.

Jonathan Edwards, Plaid Cymru MP for Carmarthenshire East and Dinefwr, said: “We are living in a developed country but people aren’t able to heat their homes properly.

“The recent Assembly Government study showed 25% of households were in fuel poverty – it is an incredible sum.”

The Government in Cardiff Bay has some noble aims in this field – most notable and obvious being its Child Poverty Strategy, launched at the beginning of the year.

The Assembly Government states that: “Tackling poverty is a fundamental component of our broader strategy to improve quality of life and extend opportunity to every community in Wales.

“Addressing poverty and inequality among children and young people is crucial to giving them the opportunity to make the most of their lives.”

Central to Assembly Government policy is its ambition to eradicate the scourge of child poverty by 2020.

There are three strands to the strategy.

The first aim is recognising that children with out-of-work parents are more likely to live in poverty than those whose parents are in employment.

Secondly, the scheme aims to improve the education and skills of both young people and their parents in a bid to find work and be lifted out of poverty.

And thirdly, it will look to improve the health of children living in poverty and attempt to reduce the gap in “outcomes” – essentially what they achieve in life – between them and those growing up in better-off families.

Is such an ambitious target achievable?

Possibly, but the fact that the problem is so deep-rooted in Welsh society is the question that many ask.

Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/02/12/a-developed-country-where-heating-and-food-is-on-ration-91466-28158999/#ixzz1GNH4Jwh6