Concern in Mid Devon over lack of cheap energy - 10/03/2009
Concern in Mid Devon over price rises from energy suppliers has resulted in an increase in the number of people seeking information about benefits eligibility.
The Mid Devon Star reports more than 7,500 households in Tiverton and Honiton are living in fuel poverty, with the Citizens' Advice Bureau reporting that around 40 per cent of its clients across the UK are having to allocate more than ten per cent of their annual income towards energy bills.
Debbie Westlake, chief officer for Tiverton, Cullompton and District Age Concern, told the paper: "Fuel poverty is now a major issue for most older people - many have to rely on family and friends for extra help or simply go without heating or food."
She added that more elderly people are seeking help from the organisation to find out about what benefits they are entitled to in order to be able to afford their fuel bills.
All six of the UK's major energy suppliers raised their prices through the course of last year, with the increasing cost of wholesale energy largely cited as the reason.
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