PENSIONERS in the South-West have called for the nationalisation of the UK's energy industry, and for government revenue from carbon taxes to be spent on a programme of home insulation, in a bid to combat the national scandal of fuel poverty.

A meeting in Bristol of the Western Region of the National Pensioners' Convention (NPC), on 3rd September, heard that 24,000 older people died last year of cold-related illnesses, and that 5 million households in 2012 were designated "fuel poor" because they were forced to spend more than 10% of total income on fuel costs - a figure calculated to rise to 8 million over the next 4 years.

Meanwhile, the government has abandoned its statutory responsibility to end fuel poverty by 2016, reduced the budget for energy efficiency measures by 44%, and abolished the Warm Front scheme, which provided grants for insulating homes. The Green Deal loan scheme which replaces Warm Front has had almost no takers, since low income households can't afford to go into more debt!

Worst of all, the government allows the energy companies to pass on the cost of carbon taxes to consumers, via increases in gas and electricity prices: between 2006-11, energy prices rose by 88%, and in 2012 alone the re was an increase of 8%.

Said NPC Western Region Chair, Chris Elliot: " Now is the time to challenge the freedom of the "Big 6" energy companies to make vast profits at the expense of human misery. We will do whatever it takes to expose the scandal of debt, ill-health, misery and death caused by fuel poverty, so that 2014 will not be yet another year when low-income households must choose between eating or heating."