Mark Oaten has continued his fight to stop Winchesters Park Home residents being excluded from the Governments schemes on fuel poverty with a new Parliamentary motion with the Government acknowledging a review is needed.
The Winchester MP and Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidates for Winchester and the Meon Valley, Martin Tod and Liz Leffman, launched their Park Homes campaign in October and since then have contacted all Park Home residents within the constituency.
Signed petitions calling on the Government to change their classification of Park Homes to ensure they are treated the same as others have been pouring into the constituency office highlighting the depth of feeling amongst those who cannot access the same Government grants as others.
Park Home residents are actually more susceptible to fuel poverty (spending more than 10% of your income on heating) but many of the fuel efficiency measures available to others do not benefit them. For example most measures under the Government’s fuel poverty programme Warm Front are not suitable for park homes and to date they have not been included under the main part of the suppliers’ obligation, the Carbon Emissions reductions target (CERT).
In the last Parliamentary session Mark tabled Early Day Motion 2037 and has today tabled new EDM 411 on the same subject to continue to press the Government on their fuel poverty plans. The motion again notes the current inequalities and calls on the Government to quickly resolve these differences.
Through Parliamentary Questions Mark has continued to probe the Government on their policy including raising the issue of Liquid Petroleum Gas, the fuel commonly used to heat Park Homes which is, also, excluded from Warm Front payments.
Following Marks most recent questioning the Government have agreed to look at the matter confirming that they are aware “LPG can provide a valuable alternative for many potential applicants [to the Warm Front scheme], especially those in Park Homes, and is currently undertaking work to establish whether or not they should be included”.
In further good news for the campaign, and through coordinated action with National Energy Action, funding has been secured for studies into new technologies on insulation and heating efficiencies within Park Homes to take place within Winchester.
Mark Oaten commented:
“This is an issue I have been aware of for a couple of years now and we are finally, slowly, starting to see some movement from the Governments side. I want to make sure they match their positive response to actual action.
“We need to make sure they don’t continue to be considered in a separate bracket by the Government so that they can refuse funding to all Park Home residents on some technical legal grounds – that isn’t good enough and it needs to change.
- Full text of EDM 411 is as follows:
EDM 411
PARK HOMES AND FUEL POVERTY
09.12.2009
Oaten, Mark
That this House notes park home residents across the country are particularly susceptible to fuel poverty; further notes that because of the nature and classification of park homes they cannot currently benefit from fuel poverty and other energy efficiency programmes; believes this places park home residents in a particularly vulnerable position; welcomes the recent investment in trials to establish the technical feasibility of products to reduce fuel costs in park homes; and calls on the Government to commit to introducing quickly these products if the pilot studies are successful and reclassify park homes to enable residents to access affordable warmth, improve their living standards and bring them more in line with the benefits and safeguards in place for more traditional homes.
- The below shows two written Parliamentary questions on the Warm front scheme and LPG fuel and also two oral interventions in the House of Commons during the Environment and energy debate on the Queens speech on the 24th of November.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will assess the merits of including liquefied petroleum gas amongst the fuels eligible for funding under the Warm Front scheme. [302369]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 30 November 2009]: The current Warm Front specification allows LPG systems to be repaired or replaced under the scheme.
The present regulations do not allow LPG systems to be installed as new measures. However, the Department is aware that LPG can provide a valuable alternative for many potential applicants, especially those in Park Homes, and is currently undertaking work to establish whether or not they should be included.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much money remains to be disbursed from the Warm Front scheme in 2009-10. [302370]
Mr. Kidney [holding answer 30 November 2009]: The funding allocated for 2009-10 is set at £369 million. At the end of November 2009, scheme spend will stand at £308 million, leaving £61 million to be disbursed over the remainder of the financial year.
Mr. Mark Oaten (Winchester) (LD): Does my hon. Friend share my concern that oil and liquefied petroleum gas should be covered by those measures, because many people in rural communities face severe oil bills? A lot of rural poverty arises from the fact that individuals cannot get mainstream gas or electricity.
Simon Hughes: My hon. Friend and many other colleagues have consistently made that point to Government. Not only is the situation unfair for people who are not on the gas supply or whatever but there are other iniquities which mean that they have to buy a tank, pay extra charges and so on. It is absolutely right that provisions to deal with that should be included in the Bill.
Mr. Oaten: Many of the vulnerable people to whom my hon. Friend refers live in park and mobile homes. Is he aware that they are unable to take part in the Warm Front schemes? Would it not make sense to include them in the Government schemes?
Simon Hughes: The honest answer to my hon. Friend is that I learned that fact yesterday. Those people should be included.