With a report that 4.2 million children are now living in poverty, a new report has found that those living in the East Lindsey area that includes Skegness, Louth, and Horncastle, are struggling to pay their fuel bills.
The new report found that one in six household in the East Lindsey area are now in fuel poverty. While the Government have provided some measures to help with the rising cost of energy, many MPs and families that are struggling, believe it is not enough.
National Energy Action said the data “only tells part of the story” as the energy crisis has worsened over the past two years.
According to the figures released by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy show that 10,744 households in East Lindsey were in fuel poverty in 2021. That is 16.3% of homes in the East Lindsey area that are struggling to pay their fuel bills.
Adam Scorer, chief executive of National Energy Action, said with the increasing energy prices and falling income, more people have been pushed into fuel poverty.
“Behind these figures are the stories of people we hear from every day. People in crisis, sacrificing hot meals or showers to afford a warm room, or forced to ration their energy despite it decimating their health,” he said.
He added: “Yet, the two-year time lag on the data means we won’t know the full picture of the energy crisis until this time next year. The Government figures released today massively understate the current crisis.”
Two years ago, a report found that 3.2 million households in England were in fuel poverty which accounts for (13.1%).
Those hit the hardest by the fuel poverty trap was the West Midlands where 18.5% were struggling to pay their fuel bills with the East Midlands having 13.6% in fuel poverty.
A Department for Energy Security and Net Zero spokesperson said the Government knows this has been a difficult time for families. It added this is why the government has covered “around half” of the typical household’s energy bill over the winter.
They added: “Our financial support, together with progress made in delivering energy efficiency measures, has prevented a significant increase in fuel poverty following Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and weaponisation of gas supplies.”
With the Government spending more than £7 million a day on hotel accommodation for refugees, those who are struggling are asking why people who enter the country illegal are being well-looked after while those struggling to pay their bills are being ignored.