Children in Fuel Poverty
[February 2008]
NEA estimates that of England ’s 2.5 million fuel-poor households that at least 13% (325,000) contain dependent children. This amounts to at least 760,000 children living in fuel poverty in England alone. Fuel poverty is defined as the need to spend over 10% of household income on fuel costs to maintain adequate warmth for health and comfort.
A YouGov poll conducted for Save the Children found that 19% of UK adults with children aged 17 or under have suffered from cold homes because of the cost of energy. 15% of households have cut back on food, and the same proportion has had to cut back on essential clothing in order to pay fuel bills. The problem is severe among the least well-off - 44% of families living on incomes of less than £15,000 per year reported suffering from cold because of high energy prices.
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