Last week in Parliament Emma joined Clive Lewis MP, Labour’s Shadow Energy Minister, to highlight the shocking rise in excess winter deaths under the Tories. Figures released by the Office of National Statistics predict that the number of people dying prematurely in winter 2014-15 are two and half times higher than in the previous winter. Fatalities in women have more than doubled and the over 75’s have been the worst affected.
Worryingly, the number of deaths have leapt from 17,460 to 43,900 with The World Health Organisation (WHO) stating that between 30% and 50% of EWDs are caused by poorly insulated cold homes.
This rise in excess winter deaths is unacceptable, the current Government have failed to ensure homes are properly insulated and have failed to tackle rising energy bills. This has resulted in 2.35 million households living in fuel poverty.
Emma said, “This rise happened over one of the mildest winters in recent years, it is clear that addressing income inequalities and poorly insulated housing are not high on this Government’s agenda. As the weather turns cold this week I am gravely concerned for the people in Shields who are struggling with their energy bills. I know we have a great caring community in Shields and I hope and would urge people to look out for their neighbours especially the elderly.”
