‘Politicians ‘aren’t doing enough for elderly in poverty’’

BELFAST TELEGRAPH – 29/09/09

A new report – ‘One Voice’ – released as part of Age Awareness Week has argued that the Government is not doing enough to tackle fuel poverty amongst the elderly. The report provides a year-on-year analysis of ageing policy in Northern Ireland and showed that the number of excess winter deaths increased by 545 last year. Those living in severe poverty have increased by 18% and pensioner poverty is said to be more prevalent in Northern Ireland than the rest of the UK, with rates 5% higher than the UK average. The report also revealed that half of the older people surveyed said they were struggling to get by, with 70% highlighting staying warm in winter as their greatest source of concern. Read the article and the report…

‘Families face winter poverty’

THE BBC – 01/12/08

Save the Children have released figures indicating that almost 50% of families with children in Northern Ireland could be in fuel poverty. 27% of families were living in fuel poverty in 2006, but when the rise in energy prices is factored in, that rises to 50%. The report author – Christine Liddell, Professor of Psychology at the University of Ulster – highlights that this is one of the highest rates of fuel poverty among families with children in the developed world. Read the article…