North East Warm Homes Summit rises to the challenge of tackling fuel poverty

Latest Government figures indicate that one in every ten households in the North East is living in fuel poverty

Recognising that the North East has a proud history of leading the way in making a real difference when it comes to addressing fuel poverty a coalition of national experts in tackling fuel poverty, Warmworks, Energy Saving Trust and National Energy Action, teamed up to host the first North East Warm Homes Summit to bring together people from local authorities, businesses, third sector and community organisations and local politicians to support the North East Combined Authority (NECA) and the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in a positive way, creating a real and genuine opportunity for North East homes to be warmer and for local businesses to grow and expand in these future-facing industries.

One in ten households across the region are currently unable to affordably heat their homes, choosing between heating and eating, experiencing worsening physical and mental health issues and leaving children without a safe, warm environment to learn, grow and socialise.

And with energy bills having gone up again on April 1st, following the recent price cap rise, action to make North East homes warmer, healthier and cheaper to run and to give local families access to the benefits of decarbonising local housing stock has never been more important.

The inaugural North East Warm Homes Summit took place at the Mining Institute, Newcastle upon Tyne between on Friday 4th April. North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, gave a keynote address along with speeches from the Rt Hon Caroline Flint, Chair of the Government’s Fuel Poverty Committee and Councillor Karen Kilgour, Leader of Newcastle City Council.

Over the last few years, the North East has received relatively low levels of funding from central Government grant schemes, especially in comparison to the majority of other regions in England, despite suffering the highest levels of fuel poverty.

Addressing the Summit, North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “We can’t make the North East the home of real opportunity without tackling fuel poverty. It’s time to finally tackle this serious issue  and make local homes, that have been left behind for far too long, warmer, healthier and cheaper to run.”

Calling on the government to use its Warm Homes Plan to  give the North East – the area with the highest per capita fuel poverty in England – its fair share, she has started a conversation with local councils, businesses and third sector organisations on a plan for the delivery of energy saving upgrades to households living in fuel poverty across the region.

She added: “Nobody in the North East should have to live in a cold, damp home, or live in fear of turning the heating on to stay warm without breaking the bank. I’m committed to making the North East the home of real opportunity, and as part of that, we must tackle this social crisis to lift thousands of families across our region out of poverty.

“We know the impact of living in cold homes is limiting the life chances for our children and young adults as well as creating a stigma that widens social exclusion for elderly people. I have committed to creating green jobs to ensure working class people have a skilled stable job upgrading homes – lifting themselves and their community out of hardship. However, I am looking forward to region-wide discussions today to see what more can be done to tackle fuel poverty.”

Cllr Karen Kilgour, Leader of Newcastle City Council said: “Newcastle has a proud history of tackling fuel poverty and of pioneering local action that has been adapted nationally to deliver transformational change in the past. It’s time for us to once again lead the charge in the North East and to deliver benefits to our local communities that need our support and I welcome the first North East Warm Homes Summit being held here in Newcastle.”

Rt Hon Caroline Flint, former Health Minister and MP and now Chair of the Government’s  Fuel Poverty Committee said: ‘The link between improvements to health and action on fuel poverty is long proven and the opportunities for families across the North East to benefit from living in warmer and healthier homes is  why it’s so important we collaborate to deliver the benefits of the Warm Homes Plan to those most in need.’

Ross Armstrong, Chief Executive, Warmworks said: ‘The North East has more homes and families struggling to stay affordably warm than any other region in the country, so it’s vital that we work together effectively, as a reion, to change that. Today’s event is a hugely important step in bringing together the key people, businesses and the organisations that have the experience and capacity to move this forward in an impactful way.

“As an organisation that’s already delivered help to almost 50,000 households over the last ten years, we’re genuinely excited to add our voice, our experience and knowledge  of the region into the mix as we seek to find answers for the people that need them.”

Mike Thornton, CEO, Energy Saving Trust added: “As the leading national organisation providing advice and support to hundreds of thousands of homes every year, helping them to decarbonise their heating at home whilst also lowering their bills we are pleased to support the first North East Warm Homes Summit as a first important step to ensuring that the North East really benefits from the Warm Homes Plan.”

Adam Scorer, CEO, National Energy Action said: “Fuel poverty is a national crisis that is getting worse, not better. And with the latest price increase that kicked in on April 1^st we need to ensure that our response is effective, scalable and able to reach the people who are struggling the most. As a national charity founded in Newcastle, we understand the specific problems our region faces, and we’ll work with local leaders to ensure that the solutions are designed in a way that makes a real impact.”

You can watch North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, talking to BBC Political Reporter, Helen Richardson, from the North East Warm Homes Summit on BBC iPlayer  The segment starts at 21 mins 30 seconds into the programme.

Link to latest fuel poverty data

Link to data by local authority