One in ten households in Leeds are suffering from fuel poverty

Charity National Energy Action says 10,000 people in the UK lose their lives to a cold home each year, and that “we should be more alert than ever” to the problem’s health impact amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Data from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy shows that 10 per cent of the 335,852 households in Leeds faced energy bills that pushed them into poverty in 2018 – the most recent year for which figures are available.

It means 34,657 of households in the area were fuel poor, with the rate falling from 11 per cent in 2017. Across Yorkshire and the Humber, 10 per cent of households could not afford their bills in 2018. A household is considered to be fuel poor if their energy costs are above the national median, and if meeting those costs would push them below the poverty line.

The 236,000 fuel poor households in Yorkshire and The Humber were, on average, £297 short of being able to afford their energy bills each year.

A BEIS spokeswoman said: “No-one should be cold in their own home. That is why we are protecting all households from rip-off deals with our energy price cap, improving the energy efficiency of low-income households and giving extra money to pensioners during the winter.”