Fuel poverty and the Warm Homes Programme
Background
In October 2021 an estimated 200,000 Welsh households are
fuel poor with a further 153,000 at risk of fuel poverty.
In light of this the Equality
and Social Justice Committee undertook a short inquiry into fuel poverty
and the Welsh Government’s Warm Homes Programme, ahead of the new programme
coming into place in 2023.
Terms of reference
The terms of reference for the inquiry were to examine:
- What are the main lessons learned from the Welsh
Government’s current Warm Homes Programme?
- How can these lessons help shape the next
iteration of the Warm Homes Programme to ensure that it better supports
those living in, or at risk of, fuel poverty? In particular:
- what should the eligibility criteria for
home energy efficiency measures be,
- should the area-based approach to tackling
fuel poverty (Arbed) continue,
- what specific support should be made
available to meet the challenges associated with rural fuel poverty?
- how can private sector landlords be
encouraged to tackle fuel poverty amongst tenants?
- how can any successor scheme(s) better
advance equality and social justice considerations?
- How can the Welsh Government ensure that the next
iteration of the Warm Homes Programme better aligns with its efforts to
decarbonise Welsh housing?
Evidence gathering
The Committee held a consultation
and received fourteen responses. The Committee also held oral evidence sessions
with stakeholders including think tanks, charities, and industry experts on the
following dates:
Reporting
The Committee laid its report on
Wednesday, 18 May 2022.
Following publication, Chair of the
Committee, Jenny Rathbone MS, stated:
“Fuel poverty is now a national crisis with high energy prices,
particularly for gas, rising continuously.
If the Welsh Government is serious about helping people in fuel poverty
this winter, it needs to adopt some emergency measures to improve the warmth of
badly insulated homes that families can’t afford to heat.”
Business type: Committee Inquiry
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
First published: 09/12/2021
Documents
- Restricted enclosure
- Summary of engagement
PDF 187 KB View as HTML (2) 55 KB
Consultations
- Fuel poverty and the Warm Homes Programme (completed)