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Over a million families with children under 16 will face fuel poverty this Christmas, according to a new analysis.
Analysis of state statistics shows that 17.6 percent of households have children under the age of 16 they struggle to heat their homes – compared to 13 percent of all households in 2023.
The West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber were the worst performing regions affected by fuel poverty, according to an analysis by the Liberal Democrats.
In 2023, 36.4 percent of households, or 8.91 million people, spent more than 10 percent of their income — after housing costs — on energy bills. That was nine percent more than the year before.
Global gas, electricity, and oil prices surged in the summer of 2021 following the pandemic. The peak energy price from October to December 2024 is set at £1,717 – 41 per cent more than in winter 2021/22.
I in January it will rise further to £1,738. The latest figures for 2023 show there are 1.08 million fuel-poor households in England with children aged 15 or under, according to the analysis.
Families with disabled children are often the most affected by high electricity bills, as parents have to use more electricity to meet their child’s needs.
Mother-of-four Isoken, 49, who looks after her 19-year-old autistic son Kelly along with three younger siblings aged 17, 16 and 15, said her family’s biggest expenses are food and electricity.
“I wash his clothes three to four times a week. He keeps dropping things on his clothes and, for him, once he puts his clothes on, he won’t wear them again,” she said. The Independent.
“He can dress perfectly, but I have to get him the right clothes for the weather. Using the dryer is also an added expense, but we do so much laundry that if we don’t use the dryer, clothes will be all over the house.”
Isoken, who works part-time as a teaching assistant, is supported by charitable Family Fund so she can buy things the family wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford – like a fridge-freezer, a tumble dryer and an iPad for her son.
Alana*, mother of twin boys Joshua and Hughie, who are toddlers, put a lot of light in the house during the winter because Joshua is visually impaired.
“Because Josh can see lights or shadows, I always keep the lights on in the house for him, but that adds to the electricity bill,” she explained. “The house needs a lot of daylight, because that’s the best way to improve its vision. And he’s on the floor all the time, so I have to keep the house clean and warm for him too.”
Alana receives housing benefit and disability benefits for the children, and she said she is only financially better off at work. She also received electronics from the Family Fund for Joshua to play with.
Speaking about her biggest outgoing costs, she said: “I think utilities are the most pressing concern, as well as the price of petrol – they’re variable but you can’t not use them.”
Liberal Democrat energy spokeswoman Pippa Heylings said it was “disgraceful” that more than a million families with children faced poverty this Christmas.
She added: “The terrible legacy of the former Conservative government left people with huge energy bills and leaky homes.
“This cannot continue, every family deserves a warm safe home.”
The Lib Dems are calling for an emergency house insulation program to provide free insulation and heat pumps to low-income households.
A government spokesman said: “We are doing everything we can to support vulnerable families this winter – including the £150 Warm Home Discount, which is expected to support three million eligible households, and our Warm Homes Scheme, which will benefit up to 300,000 households with upgrades next year, making them cheaper and cleaner to run.
“Over a million households will be lifted out of fuel poverty through our plans for the largest potential increase in home energy standards in history.
“The Child Poverty Task Force will explore all available levers to drive improvements, in the short and long term, to reduce child poverty, including in areas such as fuel poverty.”
*Name has been changed to preserve anonymity.